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CORNELL  STUDIES  IN  ENGLISH 

EDITED    BY 

JOSEPH  QUINCY  ADAMS 

CLARK  SUTHERLAND  NORTHUP 

MARTLN  WRIGHT  SAMPSON 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


OF 


WILLIAM  WORDSWORTH 


A  CRITICAL  EDITION 


BY 


ABBIE  FINDLAY  POTTS 

Instructor  in  English  in  Vassar  College 


A  Dissertation  Presented  to  the  Graduate  School  of  Cornell  University 

in  Partial  Fulfilment  of  the  Requirements  for  the 

Degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy 


NEW  HAVEN:  YALE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
LONDON:  HUMPHREY  MILFORD 
OXFORD  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
MDCCCCXXII 


Copyright,  1922 
By  Yale  University  Press 


First  Published  in  November,  1922 


TO 

PROFESSOR  LANE  COOPER 
IN  GRATITUDE  FOR  HIS  HELP 


500u35 


PREFACE 

A  century  has  gone  by  since  the  pubHcation  of  the  Ecclesi- 
astical Sketches;  but  the  problems  of  social  life  in  1922  are  not 
unlike  those  on  which  Wordsworth  meditated  in  1822.  With 
us,  also,  recovery  from  war,  rash  industrial  and  political 
adventure,  hunger  for  novelty  or  variety  in  the  management 
of  schools  and  churches,  have  confused  the  national  mind, 
and  we  still  need  this  poet's  interpretation  of  the  spiritual 
history  of  his  country.  Nor  may  we  without  a  careful  review 
assert  that  we  are  a  hundred  years  wiser.  Therefore  the  time 
and  the  circumstances  appear  fitting  for  a  critical  edition  of 
the  series  finally  known  as  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets. 

Professor  Lane  Cooper  of  Cornell  University  suggested  that 
I  prepare  this  edition,  and  has  throughout  the  undertaking 
directed  my  research.  I  am  deeply  indebted  to  him  for 
scholarly  counsel,  and  for  aid  a?  well  in  the  humbler  concerns 
of  my  task.  I  wish  also  to  acknowledge  the  friendly  and 
expert  guidance  of  Professor  Benton  S.  Monroe  and  Professor 
George  P.  Bristol  in  other,  but  allied,  subjects;  and  to  the 
members  of  the  Committee  charged  with  the  Cornell  Studies 
in  English  I  here  express  my  gratitude  for  their  courtesy  and 
support  in  publishing  a  centennial  edition  of  the  Ecclesiastical- 
Sonnets. 

For  the  permission  to  photograph  and  to  print  manuscript? 
I  am  obliged  to  the  late  Mrs.  Henry  A.  St.  John,  and  to  her 
daughter,  Mrs.  David  Kennedy  Fraser;  with  great  kindness 
they  allowed  me  the  use  of  their  Wordsworth  collection,  and 
made  my  labors  in  it  the  easier  by  their  cordial  interest. 
Miss  Georgina  Melville,  whose  preliminary  investigation  of 
this  series  had  not  been  completed,  generously  placed  in  my 
hands  the  results  of  her  study.  My  obligation  to  previous 
editors  and  students  of  Wordsworth  is  elsewhere  indicated  in 
detail. 

vii 


Viii  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

The  text  is  that  of  the  Poetical  Works  of  1850.  I  have 
followed  Hutchinson  {Poetical  Works,  Oxford  edition)  in  the 
use  of  -ed  for  'd,  and  in  these  spellings:  sea-mew,  recompense^ 
mead,  control,  aery,  chestnut,  CJiicheley,  mother-spray,  recall, 
and  recalls,  RusselVs,  couldst,  and  His  and  Him  in  reference  to 
Christ;  and  I  have  consistently  printed  throtigh  and  though 
and  Christian  instead  of  thro'  and  tho'  and  christian.  Believing 
that  Wordsworth's  comma  often  denotes  emphasis  or  modu- 
lation, I  have  retained  it  in  several  instances  where  Hutchinson 
has  discarded  it;  but  I  have  adopted  Hutchinson's  punctua- 
tion in  Eccl.  Son.  3.29.3  and  341.3;  and  for  3.9.5-8  I  have 
adopted  the  punctuation  of  the  text  of  1846.  I  have  used 
single  instead  of  double  quotes  throughout  the  text. 

References  to  Wordsworth's  other  poems  are  made  by- 
means  of  the  catch-titles  used  in  Professor  Cooper's  Concor- 
dance to  the  Poems  of  William  Wordsworth. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

General  Discussion i 

Date  of  Composition 27 

Manuscripts 30 

Editions 42 

Structure 60 

MANUSCRIPT  F 79 

ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

Table  of  Contents 112 

Advertisement  of  1822 117 

Note  of  1827 118 

Text  of  1850 119 

VARIANT   READINGS 186 

NOTES 205 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 305 

INDEX 309 


IX 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facsimile  of  a  page  of  the  letter  from  Wordsworth  to 
Henry  Reed,  September  4,  1842.  In  the  collection 
of  Mrs.  St.  John facing     32 

Facsimile  of  Mary  Wordsworth's  script,  July  18,  1842. 

In  the  collection  of  Mrs.  St.  John facing     40 

Facsimile  of  MS.  F,  p.  51.     In  the  collection  of  Mrs. 

St.  John facing     42 

Interior  of  King's  College  Chapel,  Cambridge.  Repro- 
duced from  an  engraving  by  J.  Greig  in  George  Dyer's 
History  of  the  University  and  Colleges  of  Cambridge, 
London,  1814 facing     58 


INTRODUCTION 
GENERAL   DISCUSSION 


The  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  written  when  Wordsworth  was 
fifty-one  years  old,  should  reveal  him  as  a  profound  thinker 
and  a  powerful  artist.  During  his  career  he  had  with  more 
and  more  success  labored  for  the  perfect  union  of  love  and 
reason ,  those  mutual  lactors  m  both  Tile  and  art.  Laodamia 
notably  achieves  this  union  in  art;  and  the  words  of  Pro- 
tesilaus  to  Laodamia  indicate  the  cost  of  the  union  in  life  as 
well:  transports  shall  be  moderated,  mourning  shall  be  meek; 
lofty  thought  embodied  in  act  has  wrought  deliverance;  reason 
and  self-government  are  to  control  rebellious  passion,  and 
thus  affections  will  be  raised  and  solemnized.^  But  these 
words  are  the  very  message  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  and 
in  this  very  temper  Wordsworth  receives  upon  his  affections 
the  burden  of  institutional  reason  and  traditional  government. 
Has  he  profited  by  his  own  counsel?  Is  his  art  delivered  by 
his  lofty  thought?  Although  in  the  third  sonnet  of  the  series 
he  writes  of  Druid  and  Christianity,  he  might  ask  the  question 
about  himself,  too: 

Haughty  the  Bard:  can  these  meek  doctrines  blight 
His  transports?  wither  his  heroic  strains? 

Some  there  are,  however,  who  feel  that  Wordsworth's 
history  of  the  Church  of  England,  his  poetical  record  of  a 
nation's  love  and  reason,  of  its  lofty  thought  embodied  in  act, 
is  not  a  successful  or  characteristic  poem.  To  many  he 
remains  chiefly  the  bard  of  external  nature  and  of  the  sensa- 
tions, moods,  and  feelings  celebrated  in  the  poem  on  the  Wye. 
Even  trained  readers  have  marked  those  passages  of  his  life 

1  Laod.  -]-],  137-8,  140,  73-4,  144. 
2  1 


2  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

and  art  which  indicate  that  he  is  an  ecstatic  poet,  an  oracle 
rather  than  a  builder.  The  first  half  of  his  life  has  been  the 
more  thoroughly  studied — by  himself  in  The  Prelude;  by  his 
sister  in  her  Journals;  by  Coleridge  in  his  critical  notes;  and 
in  the  recent  interpretation  of  Professors  Legouis  and  Harper, 
to  both  of  whom  his  earlier  poetry  is  more  congenial.  And 
hence  Harper's  conclusion  that  Wordsworth's  life  was  'broken 
in  the  middle,'  ^  and  Minto's  belief  that  'after  1807  there  is  a 
marked  falling  off  in  the  quality,  though  not  in  the  quantity, 
of  Wordsworth's  poetic  work,'  ^  may  arise  somewhat  from  the 
general  lack  of  scholarly  regard  for  the  later  poetry,  and  some- 
what from  personal  distaste.  In  the  minds  of  these  critics 
meek  doctrines  have  indeed  blighted  the  transports  of  the 
bard,  and  withered  his  heroic  strains. 

If  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  are  to  take  their  rightful  place 
in  a  survey  of  Wordsworth's  art,  his  career  must  be  thought 
of  as  homogeneous;  and  this  conception  would  be  Words- 
worth's own.  In  the  year  181 5  he  was  anxious  that  the 
arrangement  of  his  poems  should  'correspond  with  the  course 
of  human  life.'  and  should  exhibit  'the^ree  requisites  of  a 
legitimate  whole,  a  beginning,  a  middle,  and  an  end.'  ^  But 
much  earlier  he  had  been  concerned  for  'the  pleasure  which 
the  mind  derives  from  the  perception  of  similitude  in  dissimili- 
tude,' and  he  believed  that  upon  this  perception  'depend  our 
taste  and  our  moral  feelings.'  ^  'Homogeneous'  is  not  a  novel 
epithet  for  Wordsworth.  It  gave  Coleridge  'great  pleasure, 
as  most  accurately  and  happily  describing  him';  ^  Dowden 
approves,  and  Harper  quotes,  the  opinion  of  Coleridge;  ^  and 

^  William  Wordsworth,  19 16,  1.6. 

2  Enc.  Brit.,  eleventh  ed.,  28.830. 

3  Preface  to  the  edition  of  18 15,  Poetical  Works,  Oxford  ed.,  1909,  pp. 

954-5- 

*  Preface  to  the  second  edition  of  Lyrical  Ballads,  Prose  Works,  ed.  by 

Knight,  1896,  1.68. 

^Letters  oj Samuel  Taylor  Coleridge,  ed.  by  E.  H.  Coleridge,  1895,  1.373. 
The  letter  quoted  was  written  July  13,  1802. 

°  Dowdcn's  Memoir,  P.  W.,  Aldine  ed.,  1892-3,  i.xxii;  anil  Harper's 
William  Wordsworth  2.44. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  3 

Christopher  Wordsworth  referred  to  the  'continuous  stream 
of  identity'  ^  which  flowed  from  the  poet's  earhest  to  his  latest 
poems.  Of  the  probable  deviations  in  such  a  stream  \\  ords- 
worth  himself  had  given  warning;  ^  but  he  was  sure  that  the 
stream  advanced.  In  the  Character  of  the  Happy  Warrior  the 
combatant  is  one 

Who,  not  content  that  former  worth  stand  fast, 
Looks  forward,  persevering  to  the  last. 

So,  too,  a  poet  would  direct  the  orderly  advance  of  his  books: 

Go,  single — yet  aspiring  to  be  joined 

With  thy  Forerunners  that  through  many  a  year 

Have  faithfully  prepared  each  other's  way.' 

Wordsworth  was  not  unconscious  of  the  charges  brought 
against  him  of  reaction,  political  and  literary;^  and  as  well 
in  literature  as  in  politics  did  he  face  the  accusation  and 
answer  it,  asserting  his  fidelity  to  principle,  and  scorning  the 
implication  that  with  years  and  experience  he  had  become 
less  wise.  His  respect  for  the  aged  'Bards  of  mightier  grasp' 
grew  as  normally  as  his  respect  for  constitutions  and  liturgies. 
He  hailed  ever  more  devotedly  Ossian,  'the  Son  of  Fingal'; 
Homer,  'blind  Maeonides  of  ampler  mind';  and  'Milton,  to 
the  fountain-head  of  glory  by  Urania  led.'°  He  remarked 
in  a  letter  to  Talfourd  that  the  great  works  of  Chaucer,  Milton, 
Dryden,  and  Cowper  were  composed  'when  they  were  far 
advanced  in  life.  *  ® 

Since  Wordsworth  himself  has  opened  the  way  for  a  com- 
parison between  the  years  of  the  artist  and  the  nature  of  the 
work  of  art,  additional  evidence  may  be  offered.  Bede  was 
an  old  man  when  he  wrote  the  Ecclesiastical  History;  Alfred 

^  Memoirs  of  William  Wordsworth,  ed.  by  Reed,  1851,  1.4-5- 

2  Reply  to  the  Letter  of  Mathetes,  Prose  Works  1.90. 

3  In  desultory  17-19,  Prelude  to  the  Poems  Chiefly  of  Early  and  Late  Years. 
*  Letters  of  the  Wordsworth  Family,  ed.  by  Knight,  1907,  2.162. 

^  Ossian  53,  79-82. 
®  Letters  3.1 15. 


4  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

translated  Bede  and  Gregory  late  in  his  career;  and  the  Re- 
public and  the  Divina  Commedia,  no  less  than  the  epics  of 
Chaucer  and  Milton,  were  tasks  *  hallowed  by  time.'  More 
and  Spenser  were  early  productive,  but  Bacon's  labors  con- 
tinued with  unabated  success,  and  Shakespeare's  Tempest 
reflects  the  wisdom  of  age,  not  of  youth.  St.  Augustine,  the 
prototype  for  the  modern  world  of  the  poet  who  is  a  builder, 
wrote  his  De  Civitate  Dei  with  three  score  of  his  years  behind 
him;  and  according  to  Bryce  'it  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that 
the  Holy  Empire  was  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  De 
Civitate  Dei.'  ^  Indeed,  these  works  of  these  men  are  all  pro- 
found studies  of  the  spiritual  history  and  destiny  of  mankind. 
They  are  contemplative  and  mature;  they  betoken  judgment 
and  long  experience  in  the  artists  who  produced  them. 

As  we  have  noted,  Wordsworth  was  fifty-one  when  he  wrote 
the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.  This  fact  of  itself  does  not  prove 
the  excellence  of  his  poem,  but  it  indicates  that  his  develop- 
ment was  typical :  the  natural  phenomena  of  his  country  and 
the  humble  activities  of  his  fellow- men  made  way  in  his  mind 
for  a  loftier  theme,  the  spiritual  history  of  a  people.  So  Virgil 
had  renounced  Eclogues  and  Georgics  for  his  Aineid.  Words- 
worth like  Dante,  Spenser,  and  Milton,  even  like  Augustine, 
Alfred,  and  Bede,  accepted  the  final  challenge  of  life  and  art. 

II 

How  would  Wordsworth  conceive  the  spiritual  history  of  a 
people?  Here,  above  all,  he  would  be  like  himself — homo- 
geneous. In  spite  of  his  desire  to  be  a  recluse,  the  adxance 
in  his  art,  as  Minto  remarks,  had  always  come  to  him  'not 
in  his  seclusion,  but  when  he  was  in  contact  with  his  fellow- 
men.*  ^  'Stand  no  nior£,.alQalilJs  the  exhortation  common  to 
lyrical  Ballads,  the  Poems  of  1807,  the  CojiveJition  of  Cintra, 
and  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  those  four  works  being  in  a 

^  The  Holy  Roman  Empire,  1904,  p.  94,  note. 

2  Wordsworth' s  Great  Failure,  Nineteenth  Century  for  September,  1889, 
p.  449. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  5 

senseji  return  to  the  objective  world  from  the  preoccupation 
of  Guilt  and  Sorrow  and  The  Borderers;  from  The  Prelude, 
whose  theme  is  self-; -from  The  White  Doe,  whose  'objects 
.  .  .  derive  their  influence,  not  from  properties  inherent  in 
them,  not  from  what  they  are  actually  in  themselves,  but  from 
such  as  are  bestowed  upon  them  by  the  minds  of  those  who 
are  conversant  with  or  affected  by  those  objects';^  and, 
finally,  from  the  unsubstantial  theme  of  The  Recluse. 

In  1793,  after  a  crisis  evident  in  Guilt  and  Sorrow  and  The 
Borderers,  Wordsworth  was  as  one  betrayed  by  nature  and  by 
judgment.  Whether  this  betrayal  had  wrought  havoc  with 
his  personal  affections  or  his  social  ideals  is  here  of  little 
concern.     The  remedy  lay  in  a  rededication : 

Long  have  I  loved  what  I  behold, 

The  night  that  calms,  the  day  that  cheers; 

The  common  growth  of  mother-earth 

Suffices  me — her  tears,  her  mirth. 

Her  humblest  mirth  and  tears. 2 

Out  of  this  humility  came  the  Prologue  to  Peter  Bell,  Peter 
Bell  itself,  and  the  personages  in  Lyrical  Ballads.  The  poet 
recovered  the  simple,  traditional  utterance  of  English  verse ;  ^ 
he  abandoned  the  boat  twin-sister  of  the  crescent  moon,  the 
realm  of  faery,  the  might  of  magic  lore,  the  dragon's  wing.'* 
Like  another  Antaeus,  from  his  contact  with  mother-earth 
Wordsworth  drew  both  courage  and  refreshment,  as  is  proved 
by  his  keen  analyses  in  the  Preface  of  1800,  his  exact  deline- 
ation in  the  Poems  on  the  Naming  of  Places,  and  those  'present 
gifts  of  humbler  industry,'  ^  the  first  two  books  of  The  Prelude. 
In  the  words  of  his  letter  to  Coleridge,  1809,  he  now  sought 
objects  'interesting  to  the  mind,  not  by  its  personal  feelings 
or  a  strong  appeal  to  the  instincts  or  natural  affections,  but 
to  be  interesting  to  a  meditative  or  imaginative  mind,  either 

1  Letters  2.68. 

^P.B.12,1-^. 

^  Cf.  Barstow,  Wordsworth's  Theory  of  Poetic  Diction,  1917. 

<P.  B.  80,  loi,  no,  136. 

"^ Prelude  1. 133-4. 


6  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

from  the  moral  importance  of  the  pictures,  or  from  the  em- 
ployment they  give  to  the  understanding  affected  through  the 
imagination,  and  to  the  higher  faculties.'  ^  Now,  too,  he 
had  found 

A  hoary  pathway  traced  between  the  trees, 

And  winding  on  with  such  an  easy  line 

Along  a  natural  opening,  that  I  stood 

Much  wondering  how  I  could  have  sought  in  vain 

For  what  was  now  so  obvious. ^ 

Although  this  pathway  led  through  a  profound  study  of 
self,  The  Prelude,  yet  thence,  moderated  and  composed,  with 
an  enthusiasm  for  humanity  transcending  his  enthusiasm  for 
external  nature  and  his  enthusiasm  for  his  own  lofty  hopes, 
Wordsworth  made  his  second  definite  return:  henceforth  he 
would  exercise  his  skill  even  more  devotedly, 

Not  in  Utopia, — subterranean  fields, — 
\  Or  some  secreted  island.  Heaven  knows  where  I 

But  in  the  very  world,  which  is  the  world 
Of  all  of  us, — the  place  where,  in  the  end, 
We  find  our  happiness,  or  not  at  all!^ 

The  Ode  to  Duty  and  the  Character  of  the  Happy  Warrior  show 
the  result  of  this  adjustment.  Moreover,  Wordsworth  had 
partaken  of  'the  very  world'  in  certain  intimate  and  memor- 
able ways.  After  the  death  of  John  Wordsworth  he  could 
write: 

A  deep  distress  hath  humanized  my  Soul.* 

From  his  bereavement  grew  the  sense  of  a  holier  joy,  which, 

with  the  renewed  yearning  for  seclusion,  is  expressed  in  The 

White  Doe,   the  fairest  image  of  one  side  of  Wordsworth's 

genius,  and  in  temper  akin  to  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.     Yet 

the  solution  of  The  White  Doe,  as  its  motto  implies,  is  meek 

^  Letters  3.473. 
2  When,  to  47-52. 
^  Prelude  1 1. 139-43. 
*  Peele  Castle  36. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  7 

and  heroic,  but  not  rational;  and  the  poem  itself  appears  as 
'faintly,  faintly  tied  to  earth'  as  was  its  heroine,  standing  like 
her  'apart  from  human  cares.' ^  Of  this  Wordsworth  must 
have  been  aware,  for  again  he  turned  his  eye  upon  life's  daily 
prospect;  following  his  method  in  The  Happy  Warrior  and  in 
the  existent  sonnets,  he  directed  his  thought  to  'social  and 
civic  duties,  chiefly  interesting  to  the  imaginat^'on  through  the 
understanding'; 2  and  he  restated  the  problems  of  will,  duty, 
morality,  justice,  and  virtue.  His  open-minded  study  of  the 
writings  of  Bacon,  Thomas  Browne,  and  Weever,  of  geog- 
raphies and  books  of  travel,  of  the  sources  of  contemporary 
history,  gave  him  new  power  over  the  essay,  the  scientific 
treatise,  and  the  political  pamphlet.  Nor  was  he  a  superficial 
student  of  natural  and  moral  science;  witness  the  Description 
of  the  Scenery  oj  the  Lakes  and  the  Convention  of  Cintra. 

Meanwhile  Wordsworth's  explicit  purpose  for  The  Recluse 
had  undergone  a  change.  In  1798,  as  we  learn  from  a  letter 
to  James  Tobin,  this  poem  was  to  give  pictures  of  'Nature, 
Man,  and  Society';^  in  1814,  when  a  part  was  published  as 
The  Excursion,  the  whole  was  in  conception  still  a  poem  of 
'views,'  but  the  order  of  the  theme  had  been  changed  to 
'Man,  Nature,  and  Society,'  and  the  author  spoke  through 
interv^enient  dramatic  characters. 

Minto  has  keenly  analyzed  The  Recluse,  Wordsworth's 
'great  failure,'^  but  lets  fall  no  hint  of  a  possible  alternative 
for  such  a  philosophical  poem.  To  him  the  actual  value  even 
of  The  Excursion  is  found  in  the  passages  where  Wordsworth 
is  speaker,  the  record  of  the  poet's  'own  moods,'  'the  harvest 
of  his  own  long  observation  and  cheerful  fancy,  the  fortitude 
of  his  own  resolute  will.'  But  this  resort  to  what  was  merely 
'his  own'  was  the  same  blind  alley  into  which  Wordsworth 
had  gone  on  the  banks  of  the  Wye,  the  same  tangle  of  phantom 
characters  as  in  The  Borderers,  projections  of  the  poet's  self. 

^  White  Doe  1864-5,  1859. 

2  Letters  3.473-4. 

^  Letters  1.115. 

^  Op.  cit.  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,  pp.  435-51. 


8  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Was  it  not  to  turn  the  light  dawning  from  the  east  into  a 
'steady  morning'^  that  TJie  Prelude  was  written?  And  is 
The  Excursion  not  powerful  because  in  il  the  poet  as  a  drama- 
tist has  grappled  with  the  minds  of  men,  not  the  mind  of 
Wordsworth  alone? 

Four  months  after  The  Excursion  was  published  Wordsworth 
wrote  to  R.  P.  Gillies:  'Our  inability  to  catch  a  phantom  of 
no  value  may  prevent  us  from  attempting  to  seize  a  precious 
substance  within  our  reach.' ^  Phantom  or  substance,  The 
Recluse  was  never  completed.  Presumably  its  author  under- 
stood  his  own  great  failure  as  well  as  Minto,  and  at  last  came 
to  realize  that '  philosophy  means  love  of  wisdom — true  wisdom 
is  to  let  insoluble  problems  alone.'  ^  Be  that  as  it  may, 
Wordsworth's  explicit  comment  on  great  failures  is  adequate 
to  his  own  circumstances:  memory  has  too  fondly  hung  on 
'new-planned  cities  and  unfinished  towers';  self  is  to  be 
annulled, 

her  bondage  prove 
The  fetters  of  a  dream  opposed  to  love.* 

So  Wordsworth  understood  and  partook  of  the  experience 
of  Chaucer,  Virgil,  Hooker,  the  giants  of  Malham  Cove,  and 
the  cathedral-builders  of  Cologne:  his  mortal  hopes,  too,  were 
defeated,  and  he  did  not  miss 

the  sole  true  glory 
That  can  belong  to  human  story! 
At  which  they  only  shall  arrive 
Who  through  the  abyss  of  weakness  dive. 
The  very  humblest  are  too  proud  of  heart.   .   .   . 
Say  not  tliat  we  have  vanquished — but  that  we  sur\-ive.* 

There  is  no  evidence  that  Wordsworth  formally  abandoned 
The  Recluse;  on  the  contrary,  as  late  as  1824  he  still  hesitated 

^Prelude  1.127. 
2  Letters  2.39. 

^  Op.  cit.  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,  p.  443. 
4  Laod.  132,  149-50. 

^  Ode:  Thanks.  83-7,  91.  Cf.  also  Malham,  and  the  Journals  of  Dorothy 
Wordsworth,  ed.  by  Knight,  1897,  2.178-9. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  9 

beiore  'the  task  so  weighty.'^  Moreover,  there  is  no  reason 
to  think  that  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  constitute  Part  3  of  the 
philosophical  poem  about  'Man,  Nature,  and  Society.'  Their 
themcL  Is  nature,  man,  and  God,  the  'introduction,  progress , 
and  operation  of  the  Church  in  England.'  Here  the  poet 
would  trace  man's  relation  to  God  in  its  actual  lineaments; 
once  more  he  had  returned  to  'mother-earth,  her  humblest 
mirth  and  tears,'  and  in  so  doing  he  was,  may  it  be  repeated, 
like  himself,  'homogeneous.' 

Ill 

The  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  take  for  granted  a  polity,  both  of 
State  and  of  Church,  based  upon  Wordsworth's  slowly- formed 
conviction  that  j.ustice  was  not  an  obligation  of  one  man  or 
of  one  epoch,  but  the  wuse,  brave,  temperate  expression  of  a 
society  rooted  in  the  past  and  hopeful  for  the  future.  To 
such  a  society  the  'faith  that  elevates  the  just'^  would  be 
added  like  'a  breeze  which  springs  up  ...  to  assist  the 
strenuous  oarsman.'  ^  From  the  diatribes  of  1793,  when  he 
regarded  Burke's  fidelity  to  compact  as  'a  refinement  in 
cruelty'  which  would  'yoke  the  living  to  the  dead,' ^  to  his 
eulogy  of  Burke  in  The  Prelude,  Wordsworth  hnd  fixed  his 
inward  eye  as  relentlessly  upon  '  Institutes  and  Laws,  hallowed 
by  time,'  and  '  social  ties  endeared  by  Custom'  ^  as  ever  upon 
a  primrose  by  a  river's  brim.  What  he  saw  was  as  imagi- 
natively seen  as  his  jocund  company  of  daffodils: 

'The  Constitution  of  England,  which  seems  about  to  be 
destroyed,  offers  to  my  mind  the  sublimest  contemplation 
which  the  history  of  society  and  government  have  ever  pre- 
sented to  it;  and  for  this  cause  especially,  that  its  principles 
have  the  character  of  preconceived  ideas,  archetypes  of  the 

^  Letters  2.237. 

^Primrose  51. 

^  Convention  of  Cintra,  Prose  Works  1.211. 

^  Letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  Prose  Works  1.25. 

5  Pretude  7.526-8. 


10  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

pure  intellect,  while  they  are,  in  fact,  the  results  of  a  humble- 
minded  experience.'  ^ 

By  the  same  discipline  he  learnt  'the  art  of  bringing  words 
rigorously  to  the  test  of  thoughts;  and  these  again  to  a  com- 
parison with  things,  their  archetypes,  contemplated  first  in 
themselves,  and  secondly  in  relation  to  each  other.' ^  He 
acknowledged  the  duty  not  alone  of  weighing  'the  moral 
worth  and  intellectual  power  of  the  age  in  which  we  live,'  but 
of  determining  'what  we  are,  compared  with  our  ancestors.'^ 
For,   he  believed,    'there   is  a  spiritual   community  binding 

t  together  the  living  and  the  dead:  the  good,  the  brave,  and 
the  wise  of  all  ages.  We  would  not  be  rejected  from  this 
community:  and  therefore  do  we  hope.'^  And  therefore  did 
Wordsworth  celebrate  those  'golden  opportunities  when  the 

^  dictates  of  justxe  may  be  unrelentingly  enforced,  and  the 
beauty  of  the  inner  mind  substantiated  in  the  outward  act.'  ^ 
Justice  was  his  therne,  and  his  voice  was  raised  for  mankind.® 
This  conception  of  justice,  this  idea  of  a  spiritual  State 
binding  together  the  living  and  the  dead,  was  for  Wordsworth 
substantiated  in  the  outward  acts  of  ethical,  poetical,  and 
religious  beauty  as  well.  'Usages  of  pristine  mould'  and 
'ancient  manners'  seemed  precious  revelations  of  the  'far-off 
past.'^  He  coveted  'some  Theban  fragment,'  or  'tender- 
hearted scroll  of  pure  Simonides.' ^  And  above  all,  perhaps, 
he  valued  the  record  left  in  stone  and  ritual  of  his  country's 
ecclesiastical  history.  To  churchly  images,  as  the  years  went 
by,  he  had  referred  the  most  intimate  associations  of  his  life 
and  work;    he  was,   his  nephew  remarked,   'predisposed  to 

^  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2.259. 

2  Epitaphs  2,  Prose  Works  2.164. 

^  Prose  Works  1.85. 

'^  Prose  Works  1.272. 

^  Prose  Works  1.2 15. 

^  Prose  Works  1.2 13. 

'  Dedication  to  The  River  Duddon,  The  minstrels  59,  55,  72. 

8  Departing  summer  52-4. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  11 

sympathize  with  a^fjprjn-of  religion  which  appears  to  afford 
some  exercise  for  the  imaginative  faculty.'  ^ 

Mr.  Gordon  Wordsworth  fnids  slender  evidence  for  the 
poet's  religious  observance  during  boyhood;-  but  the  cross, 
the  distant  spire,  and  the  chapel-bell  all  take  their  place  in 
the  early  poems. ^  Even  Peter  Bell  knew  the  spire  of  Sarum,'' 
profane  rover  though  he  was. 

Not  less  frequently  but  much  more  appreciatively  did 
Wordsworth  and  his  sister  in  their  travels  look  upon  monastic 
ruin  and  cathedral  spire.  On  their  way  to  Calais  in  1802 
Dorothy  saw  St.  Paul's  as  a  significant  part  of  the  view  her 
brother  delineated  in  the  sonnet  Composed  upon  Westminster 
Bridge.  In  1803  the  pinnacles  of  Inverary  recalled  to  her  the 
spires  of  Yorkshire.^  Then,  too,  Wordsworth's  plans  for  a 
winter  garden  at  Coleorton  included  *a  pool  of  water  that 
would  reflect  beautifully  the  rocks  with  their  hanging  plants, 
the  evergreens  upon  the  top,  and,  shooting  deeper  than  all, 
the  naked  spire  of  the  church.'  ^ 

The  spire  of  Brompton  Parish  Church,  'under  which,' 
Wordsworth  reminded  Wrangham,  'you  and  I  were  made 
happy  men,  by  the  gift  from  Providence  of  excellent  wives,' ' 
perhaps  shot  deeper  and  pointed  higher  than  any  other  in  his 
experience;  but  the  ecclesiastical  symbol  was  not  alien  to  his 
bleak  and  sorrowful  days.  When  most  anxious  to  repair  his 
friendship  with  Coleridge,  he  wrote  from  Grasmere  to  Sir 
George  Beaumont,  April  8,  1808: 

'You  will  deem  it  strange,  but  really  some  of  the  imagery 
of  London  has,  since  my  return  hither,  been  more  present  to 
my  mind  than  that  of  this  noble  vale.  I  left  Coleridge  at 
seven  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning,  and  walked  towards  the 
city  in  a  very  thoughtful  and  melancholy  state  of  mind.     I 

1  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2. 151. 

2  The  Boyhood  of  Wordsworth,  in  Cornhill  Magazine,  X.  S.  48  (1920).   419. 
^  Desc.  Sk.  Quarto  ~o\   Guilt  21;  Bord.  1651. 

^P.  B.  212. 
^  Journals  2.25. 
^  Letters  1.279. 
^  Letters  1.429. 


12  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SOXXETS 

had  passed  through  Temple  Bar  and  by  St.  Dunstan's,  noticing 
nothing,  and  entirely  occupied  with  my  own  thoughts,  when, 
looking  up,  I  saw  before  me  the  avenue  of  Fleet  Street,  silent, 
empty,  and  pure  white,  with  a  sprinkling  of  new-fallen  snow, 
not  a  cart  or  carriage  to  obstruct  the  view,  no  noise,  only  a 
few  soundless  and  dusky  foot-passengers  here  and  there.  You 
remember  the  elegant  line  of  the  curve  of  Ludgate  Hill  in 
which  this  avenue  would  terminate;  and  beyond,  towering 
above  it,  was  the  huge  and  majestic  form  of  St.  Paul's,  solem- 
nized by  a  thin  veil  of  falling  snow.  I  cannot  say  how  much 
I  was  affected  at  this  unthought-of  sight  in  such  a  place,  and 
what  a  blessing  I  felt  there  is  in  habits  of  exalted  imagination. 
My  sorrow  was  controlled,  and  my  uneasiness  of  mind — not 
quieted  and  relieved  altogether — seemed  at  once  to  receive 
the  gift  of  an  anchor  of  security.'  ^ 

The  reader  in  search  of  a  stern  association  of  image  and 
idea  will  pass  the  chance  comments  of  Dorothy  on  churching, 
church-going,  and  christening,^  but  will  not  fail  to  note  a 
figure  in  the  Convention  of  Cintra: 

'  If  the  gentle  passions  of  pity,  love,  and  gratitude  be  porches 
of  the  temple;  if  the  sentiments  of  admiration  and  rivalry  be 
pillars  upon  which  the  structure  is  sustained;  if,  lastly,  hatred, 
and  anger,  and  vengeance,  be  steps  which,  by  a  mystery  of 
nature,  lead  to  the  House  of  Sanctity;  then  was  it  manifest 
to  what  power  the  edifice  was  consecrated ;  and  that  the  voice 
within  was  of  Holiness  and  Truth.'  ^ 

And  Wordsworth  most  effectively  applies  this  figure  in  the 
Preface  to  The  Excursion,  1814: 

'The  two  works  [The  Prelude  and  The  Recluse]  have  the 
same  kind  of  relation  to  each  other  ...  as  the  antechapel 
has  to  the  body  of  a  Gothic  church.  Continuing  this  allusion, 
he  [the  author]  may  be  permitted  to  ackl  that  his  minor 
pieces,  which  have  been  long  before  the  public,  when  they 
shall  be  properly  arranged,  will  be  found  by  the  attentive 
reader  to  have  such  connection  with  the  main  work  as  may 

^  Letters  1.349. 

2  Harper,  William  Wordsworth  2.51;   and  Letters  1.298,  2.5. 

^  Prose  Works  1.205. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  13 

give  them  claim  to  ])e  likened  to  the  little  cells,  oratories,  and 
sepulchral  recesses  ordinarily  included  in  those  edifices.' 

Henceforth  tjie  poet  easily  and  habitually  referred  to 
ecclesiastical  architecture.  Of  the  images  gleaned  from  the 
tour^on  the  Continent  in  1820  many  are  of  such  origin;  thus: 
'the  silent  avenues  of  stateliest  architecture'  in  the  city  that 
was  'one  vast  temple';  'pinnacle  and  spire'  and  'Convent- 
tower';  'grey  rocks  .  .  .  shaped  like  old  monastic  turrets'; 
the  'unfinished  shafts'  of  the  cathedral  at  Cologne;  'lurking 
cloistral  arch';  the  'ancient  Tower';  'the  firm  unmoving 
cross';  'the  chapel  far  withdrawn';  the  'holy  Structure'; 
'shrine  of  the  meek  Virgin  Mother';  'holy  enclosure'  and 
'sacred  Pile';  'sainted  grove'  and  'hallowed  grot.'  All  these 
composed  for  one  with  eye  and  mind  alike  sensitive  to  their 
beauty 

The  venerable  pageantry  of  Time. 

Returning   to   the    'awful   perspective'   of   King's   College 

Chapel  and  the  church  to  be  erected  by  Sir  George  Beaumont, 

Wordsworth  was,  it  may  well  seem  to  the  student  of  his  life 

and  art,  inevitably  destined  to  write  an  ecclesiastical  poem. 

Yet  he 

dreamt  not  of  a  perishable  home 
Who  thus  could  build. ^ 

Outward  acts,  the  reverent  statesmanship  in  ritual  and  cathe- 
dral of  the  'perfected  spirits  of  the  just,' ^  never  obscured  for 
him  'the  eternal  city,'  the  beauty  of  the  inner  mind,  whose 
constitution,  like  the  Constitution  of  other  cities,  must  still 
be  the  result  of  a  humble-minded  experience.  Then  would 
come  faith,  to  elevate  the  just.  So  in  1827  he  put  his  own 
best  interpretation  upon  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets: 

For  what  contend  the  wise? — for  nothing  less 
Than  that  the  Soul,  freed  from  the  bonds  of  Sense, 
And  to  her  God  restored  by  evidence 
Of  things  not  seen,  drawn  forth  from  their  recess, 

^  Eccl.  Son.  3.45.1-2. 
^EccL  Son.  3.47.14. 


14  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Root  there,  and  not  in  forms,  her  holiness; — 
For  Faith,  which  to  the  Patriarchs  did  dispense 
Sure  guidance,  ere  a  ceremonial  fence 
Was  needful  round  men  thirsting  to  transgress; — 
For  Faith,  more  perfect  still,  with  which  the  Lord 
Of  all,  himself  a  Spirit,  in  the  youth 
Of  Christian  aspiration,  deigned  to  fill 
The  temples  of  their  hearts  who,  with  his  word 
Informed,  were  resolute  to  do  his  will, 
'—  And  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. ^ 

IV 

Was  Wordsworth  the  first  to  present  'in  verse'  'certain 
points  in  the  ecclesiastical  history'  of  England,  to  use  his 
own  modest  phrase?  Henry  Crabb  Robinson  says  that 
Thelwell  in  1799  believed  himself  about  to  be  a  famous  epic 
poet,  and  'thought  the  establishment  of  Christianity  and  the 
British  Constitution  very  appropriate  subjects  for  his  poem.'  ^ 
Wordsworth  may  have  heard  of  Thel well's  project,  directly 
or  indirectly,  but  it  is  wiser  to  refer  the  theme  of  Ecclesiastical 
Sonnets  to  his  own  habit  of  choice.  He  was  not  one  of  those 
whom  he  reprobated  in  the  Postscript,  1835: 

'They  who  are  the  readiest  to  meddle  with  public  affairs, 
whether  in  Church  or  State,  fly  to  generalities,  that  they  may 
be  eased  from  the  trouble  of  thinking  about  particulars;  and 
thus  is  deputed  to  mechanical  instrumentality  the  work  which 
vital  knowledge  only  can  do  well.' 

Moreover,  he  had  already  (in  18 14)  celebrated  the  Church  and 
State  of  England : 

Hail  to  the  crown  by  Freedom  shaped — to  gird 
An  English  Sovereign's  brow!  and  to  the  throne 
Whereon  he  sits!     Whose  deep  foundations  lie 
In  veneration  and  the  people's  love; 
Whose  steps  are  equity,  whose  seat  is  law. 
— Hail  to  the  State  of  England!     And  conjoin 
With  this  a  salutation  as  devout, 

^  Eccl.  Son.  2,30,  added  to  the  series  in  1827. 
^  Diary,  ed.  by  Sadler,  1869,  1.37. 
3  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  963. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  15 

Made  to  the  spiritual  fabric  of  her  Church; 
Founded  in  truth;  by  blood  of  Martyrdom 
Cemented;  by  the  hands  of  Wisdom  reared 
In  beauty  of  holiness,  with  ordered  pomp, 
Decent  and  unreproved.   .   .   . 
And  O,  ye  swelling  hills  and  spacious  plains! 
Besprent  from  shore  to  shore  with  steeple-towers, 
"And  spires  whose  'silent  finger  points  to  heaven'; 
N^r  wanting,  at  wide  intervals,  the  bulk 
QTancient  minster  lifted  above  the  cloud 
Of  the  dense  air,  which  town  or  city  breeds 
To  intercep't  ttie  sun's  glad  beams — may  ne'er 
That  true  succession  fail  of  English  hearts, 
Who,  with  ancestral  feeling,  can  perceive 
What  in  those  holy  structures  ye  possess 
Of  ornamental  interest,  and  the  charm 
Of  pious  sentiment  diiTused  afar, 
And  human  charity,  and  social  love.' 

In  1798  Wordsworth  reach ed_a^  conviction  never  afterward 
abandoned  by  him,  that  the  materials  of  poetry  'are  to  be 
Tound  in  every  subject  which  can  interest  the  human  mind.'  - 
Later  he  confirmed  and  explained  this  statement: 

'Poetr}^  is  the  first  and  last  of  all  knowledge — it  is  as  im- 
mortal as  the  heart  of  man.  ...  If  the  time  should  ever 
come  when  what  is  now  called  science,  .  .  .  familiarized  to 
men,  shall  be  ready  to  put  on,  as  it  were,  a  form  of  flesh  and 
blood,  the  poet  will  lend  his  divine  spirit  to  aid  the  transfigur- 
ation, and  will  welcome  the  being  thus  produced,  as  a  dear 
and  genuine  inmate  of  the  household  of  man.'  ^ 

Thus  Dante  had  embodied  and  transfigured  astronomy  and 
theology;  thus  Shakespeare  had  turned  to  'glorious  purpose 
those  materials  which  the  prepossessions  of  the  age  compelled 
him  to  make  use  of.''*  In  Wordsworth's  conception,  too, 
Clio,  the  Muse  of  History,  must  'vindicate  the  majesty 
of  truth.'  ^ 

^  Exctirsion  6.1-12,  i'j-2g. 

2  Advertisement  to  Lyrical  Ballads,  Prose  Works  1.3 1. 

2  Preface  to  Lyrical  Ballads,  1800,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  939. 

^  Essay  Supplementary  to  the  Preface,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  946. 

^Plea:  Hist.  8. 


16  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

If  truth  be  essential  to  poetry,  infinity  and  unity  are  the 
aspects  of  truth  necessary  to  sublime  poetry.  'The  infinitude 
of  truth'  is  a  recurrent  phrase  in  the  third  essay  on  Epitaphs} 
In  the  letter  to  Pasley,  1811,  Wordsworth  urges  'indefinite 
progress  ...  in  knowledge,  in  science,  in  civilization,  in  the 
increase  of  the  numbers  of  the  people,  and  in  the  augmentation 
of  their  virtue  and  happiness.'^  And  even  more  explicitly  in 
his  Description  of  the  Scenery  of  the  English  Lakes,  he  asserts 
that  'sublimity  will  never  bejwantin^  where  the  sense  of 
innumerable  multitude  is  lost  inland  alternates  with^jthat  of 
intense  unity.'  ^ 

Poetry  so  conceived  was  in  Wordsworth's  opinion_sublime 
poetry;  and  sublime  poetry  was  religious  jpoe try,  as  he  re- 
minded Landor  in  1824 : 

'All  religions  owe  their  origin,  or  acceptation,  to  the  wish 
of  the  human  heart  to  supply  in  another  state  of  existence 
the  deficiencies  of  this,  and  to  carry  still  nearer  to  perfection 
whatever  we  admire  in  our  present  condition;  so  that  there 
must  be  many  modes  of  expression,  arising  out  of  this  coin- 
cidence, or  rather  identity  of  feeling,  common  to  all  my- 
thologies. .  .  .  This  leads  to  a  remark  in  your  last,  "that  you 
are  disgusted  with  all  books  that  treat  of  religion."  I  am 
afraid  it  is  a  bad  sign  in  me  that  I  have  little  relish  for  any 
other.  Even  in  poetry  it  is  the  imaginative  only,  viz.,  that 
which  is  conversant  with,  or  turns  upon  infinity,  that  power- 
fully affects  me.  Perhaps  I  ought  to  explain:  1  mean  to  say 
that,  unless  in  those  passages  where  things  are  lost  in  each 
other,  and  limits  vanish,  and  aspirations  are  raised,  I  read 
with  something  too  much  like  indifference.  But  all  great 
poets  are  in  this  view  powerful  religionists,  and  therefore 
among  many  literary  pleasures  lost,  I  have  not  yet  to  lament 
over  that  of  verse  as  departed.'  * 

^  Prose  Works  2,176,  181. 
^  Prose  Works  1.316. 

'  Prose  Works  2.80;  and  cf.  Henry  Crabb  Robinson,  Diary,  September 
ID,  1816: 

'  [Wordsworth]  represented  .  .  .  much  as,  unknown  to  him,  the  German 
philosophers  have  done,  that  by  the  imagination  the  mere  fact  is  exhibited 
as  connected  with  that  infinity  without  which  there  is  no  poetry.' 

*  Letters  2.214-5. 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  17 

'The  grand  store-houses  of  enthusiastic  and  meditative 
imagination'  were  for  Wordsworth  'the  prophetic  and  lyrical 
parts  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,'  the  works  of  Milton  and  Spenser;  ^ 
even  the  sublimer  passages  of  Homer  or  ^Eschylus.^  He 
agreed  with  Henry  Alford,  however,  on  'the  distinction  be- 
tween religion  in  poetry  and  versified  religion.'  Writing  to 
the  latter  in  1840,  he  defined  his  position: 

'  For  my  own  part,  I  have  been  averse  to  frequent  mention 
of  the  mysteries  of  Christian  faith ;  not  from  a  want  of  a  due 
sense  of  their  momentous  nature,  but  the  contrary.     I  felt^it 

far  too  deeply  to  venture  on  hnnHlincr  tVio  c;n1->jpr1-  aq  fyimilTnrly 

as  many  scruple  not  to  do.  .  .  .  Besides  general  reasons  for 
diffidence  in  treating  subjects  of  Holy  WVit,  I  have  some  es- 
pecial ones.  I  might  err  in  points  of  faith,  and  I  should  not 
deem  my  mistakes  less  to  be  deprecated  because  they  were 
expressed  in  metre.  Even  Milton,  in  my  humble  judgment, 
has  erred,  and  grievously;  and  what  poet  could  hope  to  atone 
for  his  apprehensions  [?  misapprehensions]  in  the  way  in  which 
that  mighty  mind  has  done?'^ 

The  Rev.  R.  P.  Graves  has  left  his  memorandum  of  a  talk 
wherein  Wordsworth  indicates  'the  gradual  steps  by  which 
[religion  as  an  element  in  poetry]  .  .  .  must  advance  to 
a  power  comprehensive  and  universally  admitted.'  These 
steps,  like  the  steps  in  Wordsworth's  own  career,  are  'defined 
in  their  order  by  the  constitution  of  the  human  mind;  and 
[they]  .  .  .  must  proceed  with  vastly  more  slowness  in  the 
case  of  the  progress  made  by  collective  minds  than  ...  in 
an  individual  soul.'  •*  No  clearer  reason  could  be  given  for 
Wordsworth's  renunciation  of  the  great  themes  of  Milton 
and  of  Dante.  Not  of  man  or  'one  greater  man'^  was  he  to 
sing;  he  dared  not  celebrate  'il  Valor  infinito'®  as  did  that 
brother  who  found  himself  in  a  forest — 

^  Preface  to  the  edition  of  1815,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  957. 

2  Letters  2.250-1. 

2  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2,368-9. 

*  Memoirs y  ed.  by  Reed,  2.370. 

5  Paradise  Lost  i.i,  4. 

6  Dante,  Paradiso  33.81. 
3 


18  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Nel  mezzo  del  cammin  di  nostra  vita;^ 

>    instead  he  would  write  a  memorial  of  the  progress  of  religion 
as  an  element  of  poetry,  a  progress  made  by  collective  mind? 
and  traceable  in  ecclesiastical  polity  and  history,  in  liturgy 
>^and  cathedrals. 

Therefore  his  spiritual  and  practical  concern  was  unity, 
threatened  alike  by  the  anthropomorphism  of  pagan  and 
idolatrous  thought,^  and  by  latitudinarianism,  which  'will  ever 
successfully  lay  claim  to  a  divided  worship.'  ^  Political  and 
ecclesiastical  dissent  were  not  only  perilous  for  the  statesman 
and  priest,  but  perilous  for  the  artist,  to  whom  infinity  and 
unity  were  both  necessary  if  the  work  of  art  was  to  be  sublime. 

V 

(a) 

The  history  and  description  of  the  structure  of  the  Ecclesi- 
astical Sonnets  are  elsewhere  given  in  detail.  Here  something 
must  be  said  of  its  literary  form  in  general.  |  Wordsworth 
did  not  himself  relate  the  series  to  any  traditional  group;  and 
V-the  reader  is  left  to  surmise  the  author's  purpose.  Of  the 
classes  of  narrative  enumerated  in  the  Preface  of  1815'  the 
series  must  constitute  either  an  epopana  or  a  historic  poem. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  sonnet  there  is  called  an  idyllium.-* 

An  undated  letter  to  Southey  contains  Wordsworth's  best 
definition  of  the  epic  poem: 

^Epic  poetry,  of  the  highest  class,  requires  in  the  first  place 
an  action  eminently  influential,  an  action  with  a  grand  or 
sublime  train  of  consequences;  it  next  requires  the  interven- 
tion and  guidance  of  beings  superior  to  man,  what  the  critics, 
I  believe,  call  machinery;  and,  lastly,  I  think  with  Dennis 
that  no  subject  but  a  religious  one  can  answer  the  demand  of 
the  soul  in  the  highest  class  of  this  species  of  poetry.* '' 

^  Dante,  Inferno  i.i. 

2  Preface  to  the  edition  of  1815,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  957. 

2  Postscript,  1835,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  965. 

<P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  954. 

^  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2.62. 


J^. 


4uh 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  19 

The  first  and  third  of  these  requirements  are  met  by  Words- 
worth's ecclesiastical  series;  and  the  second,  too,  if  we  inter- 
pret the  'intervention  and  guidance*  of  a  Superior  Being  in 
the  simplest  and  most  exalted  sense. 

•  Moreover,  one  may  say  of  the  series  of  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets 
what  Wordsworth  said  of  Balbi's  epitaph  by  Chiabrera:  it  is 
a  perfect  whole;  there  is  nothing  arbitrary  or  mechanical;  it  is 
an  organized  body,  of  which  the  members  are  bound  together 
by  a  common  life,  and  are  all  justly  proportioned.^  Such 
perfection  is  not  accidental.  Throughout  the  decade  previous 
to  1 82 1  Wordsworth  frequently  described  the  ways  and  means 
of  it,  as  for  Instance  in  the  letter  to  Pasley: 

'A  state  ought  to  be  governed,  .  .  .  the  labors  of  the 
statesman  ought  to  advance,  upon  calculations  and  from 
impulses  similar  to  those  which  give  motion  to  the  hand  of  a 
great  artist  when  he  is  preparing  a  picture,  or  of  a  mighty  poet 
when  he  is  determining  the  proportions  and  march  of  a  poem; 
—  much  is  to  be  done  by  rule;  the  great" outline  is  previously 
to  be  conceived  in  distinctness,  but  the  consummation  of  the 
work  must  be  trusted  to  resources  that  are  not  tangible, 
though  known  to  exist.' ^ 

And  one  may  further  say  that  the  principles  underlying  the 
'proportions'  and  'march'  of  Wordsworth's  epic,  its  'great 
outline, '  have,  as  he  remarked  of  the  Constitution  of  England, 
'the  character  of  preconceived  ideas,  archetypes  of  the  pure 
intellect,  while  they  ai]e,  in  fact,  the  results  of  a  humble- 
minded  experience.'  ^    ; 

There  were  cogent  artistic  reasons  for  this — not  alone 
'October's  workmanship  to  rival  May';'^  for  from  the  outset 
of  his  career  Wordsworth  had  put  his  faith  in  the  '  best  models 
of  composition,'^  including  external  nature.  By  exercise  in 
analysis   and    translation    and    paraphrase    he    had    sternly 

^  Prose  Works  2.183. 

^  Prose  Works  1.318. 

3  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2.259. 

^  Trosachs  11. 

5  Advertisement  to  Lyrical  Ballads,  1798,  Prose  Works  1.32. 


20  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

disciplined  himself.  In  his  own  art  and  in  the  arts  of  painting 
and  sculpture  he  was  keenly  aware  of  the  cost  of  good  work; 
and  hence  he  could  detect  the  spurious  and  the  artificial,  as 
with  Macpherson's  Ossian,  or  in  the  poetry  of  Scott.  He 
could  give  reasons,  too,  for  his  judgments;  his  riper  mind  not 
only  saw  that  an  artist  was  deceived,  but  saw  how  he  was 
deceived.^  His  ire  at  poems  'merely  skin-deep  as  to  thought 
and  feeling,  the  juncture  or  suture  of  the  composition  not 
being  a  jot  more  cunning  or  more  fitted  for  endurance  than 
the  first  fastening  together  of  fig-leaves  in  Paradise,' ^  and  his 
enthusiasm  over  the  exhibitions  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  ^  are 
symptoms  of  an  increasing  attention  to  organic  form. 

Fortunately  Wordsworth's  taste  was  catholic:  his  models 
were  the  best  from  Greece,  Rome,  the  Middle  Ages,  the 
Renaissance,  the  Elizabethan  and  Jacobean  periods,  and  the 
Eighteenth  Century.  His  rapture  over  the  Elgin  marbles,"* 
his  frequent  debate  with  Wrangham  and  Lonsdale  and  Landor 
on  the  minutiae  of  Latin  phrases,  his  repeated  study  of  the 
Mneid,  are  evidence  of  his  classical  scholarship.  Throughout 
his  life  he  took  a  purely  aesthetic  delight  in  abbey  and  cathe- 
dral ;  and  the  final  passages  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  display 
no  little  of  the  reverence  of  Dante  in  the  Paradiso.  Dante's 
'fictions,'  however,  Wordsworth  considered  'offensively  gro- 
tesque and  fantastic,'^  and  thus  a  superficial  disparity  pre- 
vented the  English  poet  from  that  closer  study  of  the  Italian 
for  which  his  temper  and  intelligence  would  seem  to  have 
fitted  him. 

To  the  bold  and  lofty  conceptions  of  Michelangelo,  and 
to  Leonardo's  'intense  and  laborious  study  of  scientific  and 
mathematical   details,'^  he  rendered  due  homage;  Chaucer's 

1  Reply  to  the  Letter  of  Mathetes,  Prose  Works  1.102. 

2  Letters  2.80-1. 

^  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2.106. 

^Letters  2,63;  and  ci.thQ  Diary  o[  Hpnry  Crabb  Robinson,  November 
20,  1820. 

^  Letters  2.216. 

•  Cf.  his  translations  of  tiic  sonnets  of  Michael  Angelo,  P.  IF.,  Oxford 
ed.,  pp.  256-7;   cf.  also  Robinson's  Diary  1.360. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  21 

Mucid  shafts  of  reason,'^  and  Shakespeare's  jud^^ment  in  the 
selection  and  ordering  of  his  materials, ^  alike  won  his  regard; 
he  acknowledged  Spenser's  grasp  of  the  'highest  moral  truths' ;  ^ 
Milton  and  Walton  had  long  been  the  intimate  companions 
of  his  thought;  with  Burke  and  Cowper,  unlike  as  they  were, 
he  had  much  in  common. 

(b) 

But  no  mention  of  models  of  composition  would  be  complete 
w^ithout  reference  to  the  sonneteers  frorn  whorn  Wordsworth 
learned  how  to  shape  the  fourteen-line  stanza  which  he  adopted 
for  his  narrative  poem.  Never  before  to  the  same  extent  had 
"sonnets  been  used  to  carry  a  theme  which  needed  march  as 
well  as  proportions.  Cycles  of  sonnets  there  were;  groups 
with  their  parts  related  in  mood,  in  subject;  groups  cele- 
brating deeds  which  themselves  formed  a  sequence;  mild 
allegories  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  passion  or  the  growth  and 
maturity  and  decay  of  life:  but  a  well-articulated  scheme  of 
events  originally  conceived  as  organic  parts  of  a  whole  had 
not  before  Wordsworth's  experiment  been  attempted  by  an 
English  poet  in  the  sonnet-form.^ 

Blank  verse  or  the  Spenserian  stanza  would  have  been  a 
dignified  medium  for  an  ecclesiastical  poem.  Wordsworth's 
reasons  for  disregarding  them  may  be  inferred  from  his  letters 
to  Southey,  Lord  Lonsdale,  and  Catherine  Goodwin:  he  would 
avoid  diftuseness,  and  he  would  make  use  of  'every  possible 
help  and  attraction  of  sound.' ^  In  his  opinion  Milton's 
sonnets  had  'an  energetic  and  varied  flow  of  sound  crowding 
into  narrow  room  more  of  the  combined  effect  of  rhyme  and 
blank  verse  than  can  be  done  by  any  other  kind  of  verse.'  ^ 
Such,  then,  was  to  be  the  effect  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets. 

^  Eccl.  Son.  2. 3 1. 13. 

2  Essay  Supplementary  to  the  Preface,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  947. 
^  Preface  to  the  edition  of  1815,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  957. 
*  Cf.  chap.  4  of  the  Introduction  in  Dr.  John  S.  Smart's  recent  edition 
of  The  Sonnets  of  Milton,  1921. 

5  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2.70.     Cf.  also  ibid.  2.60,  62. 
«  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  1.286,  note. 


22  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Hutchinson  has  gathered  the  memorable  facts  concerning 
Wordsworth  and  the  sonnet  into  an  Appendix  to  his  edition 
(voL  i)  of  the  Poems  in  Two  Volumes.  His  remarks  may  here 
be  supplemented  by  a  short  statement  of  the  formal  problem 
that  Wordsworth  faced  in  a  series  of  132  sonnets  whereof  the 
transitions  must  be  distinct,  but  not  abrupt.  The  sestet, 
obviously,  is  the  crucial  concern. 

Wordsworth  was  familiar  with  the  sonnets  of  Michel- 
angelo, of  Shakespeare,  and  of  Milton.^  He  was  familiar, 
too,  with  the  technical  habit  of  Petrarch,  Tasso,  Camoens, 
Dante,  and  the  Elizabethans.  Of  later  sonneteers,  Donne, 
Russell,  Sir  Egerton  Brydges,  Miss  Williams,  the  Coleridges, 
father  and  son,  and  Southey  had  been  the  objects  of  his 
incisive  comment.  The  way  was  open,  then,  for  him  to  make 
a  judicial  selection  from  a  wide  range  of  rhyme-schemes. 

He  might  use  Shakespeare's  '  heavy '^  final  couplet,  the 
distichs  of  Petrarch  and  Dante,  and  the  tercets  of  Michel- 
angelo, in  a  variety  of  forms  to  suit  the  movement  of  his 
narrative,  or  the  extent  and  relationships  of  his  thought.  He 
was  no  doubt  prepared  for  this  free  adaptation  by  his  manage- 
ment of  rhyme  in  The  Whi^e  Doe.  At  once  strict  and  un- 
obtrusive, the  harmony  of  this  poem  is  its  greatest  formal 
beayty. 

Wisely  enough,  Wordsworth  perceived  the  superiority  of 
the  sonnet  over  any  stanza  reminiscent  of  ballad  or  canzone. 
The  sonnet  is  an  artistic  invention,  and  as  such  is  the  proper 
vehicle  for  ecclesiastical  history.  Originally  a  love  poem,  it 
would  be  fitted  to  carry  a  strain  of  sublimated  love,  patriotic 
or  religious,  as  Milton  had  discovered,  and  as  \\'ordsworth 
through  Milton  had  rediscovered,  for,  by  the  latter,  'style  of 
harmony '2  had  been  elevated  from  the  serenade  to  the  'soul- 
animating'  strain.'* 

^Letters  1.173;    Essay  Supplementary,  1815,  P.  IF.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  947. 

2  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2.258. 

^  Letters  2.180. 

■*  Misc.  Son.  2. 1. 14. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  23 

In  a  letter  to  Dyce,  Wordsworth  sets  forth  his  ideas  about 
the  construction  of  the  individual  sonnet: 

'It  should  seem  that  the  sonnet,  like  every  other  legitimate 
com£osItion^_Qught  to  have  a  beginning,  a  middle,  and  an 
enH;  in  other  words,  to  consist  of  three  parts,  like  the  three 
parts  ot'  a  syllogism^ If  sucy  "an  illustration  may  be  used.  But 
the  frame  6T  metre  adopted  l)y  the  Italians  does  "not  accord 
with  this  view;  and,  as  adhered  to  by  them,  it  seems  to  be, 
if  not  arbitrary,  best  fitted  to  a  division  of  the  sense  into  two 
parts,  of  eight  and  six  lines  each.  Milton,  however,  has  not 
submitted  to  this;  in  the  better  half  of  his  sonnets  the  sense 
does  not  close  with  the  rhyme  at  the  eighth  line,  but  overflows 
into  the  second  portion  of  the  metre.  Now,  it  has  struck  me 
that  this  is  not  done  merely  to  gratify  the  ear  by  variety  and 
freedom  of  sound,  but  also  to  aid  in  giving  that  pervading  sense 
of  intense  unity  in  w^hich  the  excellence  of  the  sonnet  has 
always  seemed  to  me  mainly  to  consist.  Instead  of  looking 
at  this  composition  as  a  piece  of  architecture,  making  a  whole 
out  of  three  parts,  I  have  been  much  in  the  habit  of  preferring 

Jh'e  image  of  an  orbicular  body  —  a  sphere,  or  a  dewdrop. 

"ATTtTiis  w^ill  appear  to  you  a  little  fanciful;  and  I  am  well 
aware  that  a  sonnet  will  often  be  found  excellent,  where  the 
beginning,  the  middle,  and  the  end  are  distinctly  marked, 
and  also  where  it  is  distinctly  separated  into  tivo  parts,  to 
which,  as  I  before  observed,  the  strict  Italian  model,  as  they 
write  it,  is  favorable.'  ^  .  . , 

Valuable  as  was  the  conception  of  an  orbicular  body  if 
Wordsworth  were  to  use  the  sonnet  as  a  stanza,  it  is  fortunate 
that  he  did  not  relinquish  the  traits  of  divisibility.  For  both 
the  march  and  proportions  of  his  poem,  the  resultant  medium 
was  a -happy  one,  rigorous  and  flexible  alike. 

By  way  of  summary,  one  ma\-  say  that  the  Ecclesiastical 
Sonnets  are  related  to  models  having  dignity  and  beauty,  and 
are  loyally  but  not  slavishly  derived  from  them ;  furthermore, 
they  are  wrought  with  conscious  skill  by  a  poet  at  once  docile 
and  self-assured. 

1  Memoirs^  ed.  by  Reed,  2.281-2.     Cf.  also  Smart,  op.  cit.,  pp.  14-38. 


]^ 


I 


24  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

VI 

His  humility,  his  exalted  aim,  his  theme,  which  was  actual 
rather  than  fanciful,  and  his  respect  for  the  best  traditions, 
made  Wordsworth  dependent  upon  his  library.  The  ecclesi- 
astical series  is  a  substantial  poem;  it  is  not  merely  a  poem 
on  a  substantial  theme,  but  a  poem  whose  very  substance  is 
the  substance  of  Bede,  Drayton,  Daniel,  Fuller,  Foxe,  Walton, 
Camden,  Stow,  Herbert,  Donne,  Whitaker,  Turner,  Heylin, 
Burnet,  Stillingfleet,  Dyer,  Milton,  the  Bible,  and  the  English 
Liturgy. 

In  selecting  the  best  for  his  purpose,  W'ordsworth  was 
unwilling  to  pervert  or  to  blur  what  had  been  well  done  before 
him.  And  hence  he  transferred  from  his  sources  to  his  own 
work  exact  thoughts  and  exact  images,  and  exact  phrases  as 
well.  His  versification  of  Bede  is  often  more  true  to  the 
original  than  is  the  English  translation  by  A.  M.  Sellar.  Such 
fidelity  would  do  credit  to  the  man  of  science;  in  the  builder 
of  a  literary  Church  which  will  represent  a  real  Church  it  is 
no  less  admirable.  Wordsworth  would  give  us  Bede  and 
Walton  as  in  themselves  they  really  are.  Like  Hooker,  whose 
passion  for  truth  he  knew  through  Walton's  Life,  he  had 
'searched  many  books  and  spent  many  thoughtful  hours.' ^ 
Like  Milton,  to  whose  History  of  Britain  he  was  indebted  for 
Artegal  and  Elidure,  he  could  appreciate  the  tireless  investi- 
gation underlying  all  genuine  literary  work. 

The  labor  necessary  for  his  substructure  he  did  not  avoid. 
Virgil  had  gone  to  ceremonial  books  of  the  priestly  college,  to 
Cato's  Origines,  to  Varro's  antiquarian  treatises;  perhaps  to 
Annates  and  Fasti;  to  Na^vius,  Ennius,  Homer  and  the 
Cyclic  poems,  the  Greek  tragedies,  the  ArgonatUica}  In  the 
same  spirit  Wordsworth  opened  the  liturgy,  Stillingfleet's 
Origines,  Davies'  antiquarian  treatises,  Stow's  Chronicle,  and 
the  works  of  Camden  and  Foxe,  of  Drayton,  and  of  Bede 
and  Milton. 

^  Walton,  The  Lives  of  Donne,  Wotton,  Hooker,  Herbert,  and  Sanderson, 
2  vols,,  Boston,  1832,  2.78. 
2  Sellar,  Virgil,  p.  310. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  25 

It  is  impossible  in  every  case  to  tell  how  conscious  or  how 
recent  was  Wordsworth's  debt,  for  his  memory  always  served 
him  well.  Bede  and  Turner  were  directly  consulted;  and  it 
is  probable. that  the  histories  of  Fuller  and  Daniel  lay  close  to 
his  hand.  From  the  old  books  that  did  not  come  amiss^  when 
he  was  preparing  an  album  for  Lady  Mary  Lowther  in  1819, 
he  doubtless  refreshed  his  knowledge  of  passages  chosen,  as 
Harper  says,  'for  solidit>,  elevation,  and  sincerity.' ^  That 
other  books,  old  or  new,  had  been  recently  acquired  we  learn 
from  two  letters  to  Henry  Crabb  Robinson,  who  seems  to 
have  mediated  between  Wordsworth  and  'the  bookseller  near 
Charing  Cross.'  These  books,  which  had  not  arrived  by  Jan- 
uary 23,  1821,  were  in  Wordsworth's  possession  on  March  13. ^ 

The  poet  was  badly  misled  by  his  authority  only  in  one 
instance,  when  he  followed  Foxe's  erroneous  account  of  the 
humiliation  of  Barbarossa  by  Alexander  III.  On  the  other 
hand,  his  favorable  estimate  of  Laud  has  been  corroborated 
by  later  historical  study ,^  and  was  pronounced,  as  he  told 
Miss  Fen  wick,  long  before  the  Oxford  Tract  Movement. 

Throughout  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  the  temper  of  Walton 
rules;  Fuller's  condensed  power  has  been  helpful  to  Words- 
worth in  the  management  of  vast  topics  like  the  Crusades 
and  the  wars  of  York  and  Lancaster;  Daniel's  style,  lucid 
and  unadorned,  reappears  to  advantage  in  sestets  which  must 
be  precise  or  final.  Dyer's  sensibility  and  Burnet's  vivacity, 
Whitaker's  zeal  for  c  rcumstantial  detail,  all  seem  to  live 
again  in  the  sonnets  they  have  helped  to  make. 

Nor  did  Wordsworth  lack  skill  to  supplement  or  balance 
one  source  with  another,  or  to  discard  what  was  specious  or 
bigoted  in  his  authorities.  Save  in  dealing  with  the  Norman 
Conquest,  he  treats  people  and  events  with  sympathy  and 
judgment;  More  and  Cranmer,  Milton  and  Laud,  all  receive 
unbiased    praise,    while   Sacheverell   and    the  dissenters  are 

^  Undated  letter  to  Wrangham,  Letters  2.128. 

2  William  Wordsworth  2.310. 

^  Letters  2. 141,  143. 

^Gardiner,  The  Great  Civil  War,  1889,  2,50-1. 


26  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

impartially  rebuked.  Of  monasticism  and  reform  alike  the 
poet  is  a  generous  interpreter. 

His  tolerance  was  recognized  by  the  eminent  Roman  Catho- 
lic writer  Montalembert ;  ^  and  the  spirit  of  pure  faith  and 
humility  which  lay  beneath  his  tolerance  recommended  him 
to  Ken  elm  Henry  Digby,  a  young  English  writer  whose  zeal 
had  carried  him  farther  into  ritual  and  ecclesiastical  tradition 
than  Wordsworth  was  willing  to  go.  Digby  not  infrequently 
quoted  Wordsworth  in  the  Mores  Catholici;^  and  between  the 
two  there  later  arose  the  friendliness  of  authors  having  a 
similar  enthusiasm.^ 

Wordsworth's  omissions  are  noteworthy.  Ca^^dmon,  who 
sang  out  of  his  heart,  is  passed  by  for  Bede  the  translator. 
William,  Lanfranc,  and  Anselm  are  not  mentioned;  but 
Richard,  the  Norman  become  Englishman,  and  Henry  V, 
point  the  folly  of  conquest.  The  civil  wars  of  England  are 
lightly  touched  on ;  enmity  of  class  against  class,  sect  against 
sect,  plays  no  important  part  in  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets; 
great  men  are  not  pitted  against  great  men — rather  does  a 
succession  of  great  men  illustrate  the  epic  march  of  an  im- 
personal struggle.  In  this  way  Wordsworth  avoids  a 
dramatic  violence  that  would  distort  his  medium,  while 
retaining  the  vigor  of  good  narrative.  And  he  overcomes  the 
temptation  to  crowd  his  action  with  persons  and  events. 
Many  well-known  characters  are  masked  or  lightly  sketched. 
Aidan,  Theodore,  Hadrian,  Wilfrid,  Bernard,  Thomas  Brad- 
wardine,  Wolsey,  Henry  VHI,  can  be  descried  in  passages 
where  no  names  are  mentioned. 

As  a  scholar  Wordsworth  was  astute:  he  found  the  main 
sources,  and  he  did  not  lose  his  sense  of  proportion.  Other 
poets  of  his  time  had  been  great  readers  and  eager  for  research, 
Coleridge  and  Scott,  for  instance.  Neither  has  so  successfully 
reconciled  his  scholarship  with  his  poetry;    neither  has  been 

^  Monks  of  the  West,  1861,  Introduction,  1.96,  note. 
2  London,  1844,  1. 1. 7,  17;    1.5.45;    1.8.87. 

^Letters  2.441;  cf.  also  an  article  in  the  .4 ///e«(r7<;n  3579.714,  May  30, 
1896. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  27 

so  modest  a  student,  for  when  Wordsworth  wrote  to  Wrangham 
in  1819  that  his  reading  powers  'were  never  very  great '^  he 
did  not  at  all  imply  that  they  had  been  unwisely  or  vainly 
exercised.  He  well  knew  the  'good  elder  writers,' ^  and  to 
Allsop  in  1 82 1  he  seemed  'almost  as  good  a  reader  as  Cole- 
ridge,' ^  and  even  more  authoritative. 

Nor  was  Wordsworth  exclusive  in  his  enthusiasms.  What 
he  studied  and  found  good  he  related  to  what  he  had  studied 
and  found  good.  The  pure  faith  of  Walton  and  the 
celestial  secrets  of  Milton  were  for  him  as  admirable  in 
Jacobean  and  Caroline  times  as  the  piety  of  Bede  and  the 
imagination  of  Gregory  in  the  early  Middle  Ages.  Alfred  and 
Elizabeth  he  found  comparable;  Saxon  monks  and  eminent 
reformers,  of  one  lineage.  The  unity  of  his  poem  is  in  large 
part  due  to  his  unwillingness  to  exalt  one  period  over  another. 

With  scholars  a  pioneer,  therefore;  as  an  artist  re-estab- 
lished in  his  art  by  study  of  the  works  of  poets  and  cathedral 
builders;  as  a  historian  animated  by  the  spirit  of  Bede  and 
Alfred;  as  a  poet  linked  with  Virgil,  with  Dante,  with  Milton, 
and  with  Spenser  by  the  nature  of  his  theme,  Wordsworth 
wrote  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets. 

DATE   OF   COMPOSITION 

Wordsworth  left  France  early  in  November,  1820;  he  then 
spent  a  fortnight  in  London,  and  another  at  the  Lodge, 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge.^  If  one  of  the  sonnets  on  King's 
College  Chapel  was  written  at  Cambridge,  as  seems  possible,^ 
and  if  MS.  F  (p.  107)  is  to  be  accepted  as  evidence,  Eccl.  Son. 
3.44  was  the  first  of  the  series  to  be  composed.  Wordsworth 
wrote  to  Crabb  Robinson  in  March,  1821: 

^  Letters  2.125. 
2  Letters  1.468-9. 

^  Knight,  The  Life  of  William  Wordsworth,  1889,  3.52. 
^P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  xxix. 

5  Cf.  Knight,  Life  of  William  Wordsworth,  3.53,  54;  and  Hutchinson,  P. 
W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  451. 


28  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

'  I  should  like  to  send  you  a  sonnet  composed  at  Cambridge, 
but  it  is  reserved  for  cogent  reasons — to  be  imparted  in 
due  time.'  ^ 

It  is  344  that  best  satisfies  this  reference;  3.43  is  dependent 
rather  upon  its  printed  source  in  Dyer  than  upon  visual 
impression. 

From  Cambridge  Wordsworth  went  on  to  Coleorton  Hall, 
where  one  of  the  group  3.39,  3.40,  3.41 — or  perhaps  the  whole 
group — was  conceived,  as  the  Advertisement  relates  (p.  117). 
Judging  by  its  presence  in  MS.  F  (p.  108),  3.41  would  be  the 
earliest  of  these. 

On  Dec.  24,  1820,  Wordsworth  was  at  home  in  Rydal.  He 
sent  to  Sir  George  Beaumont  on  Jan.  6,  1821,  an  account  of 
Millom  Church,  where  Myers  was  buried.  Of  the  return- 
journey  he  wrote: 

'My  road  brought  me  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  upon 
that  ancient  monument  called  by  the  country  people  "Long 
Meg  and  her  Daughters."  Everybody  has  heard  of  it,  and 
so  had  I  from  very  early  childhood,  but  had  never  seen  it 
before.  Next  to  Stonehenge,  it  is  beyond  dispute  the  most 
noble  relic  of  the  kind  that  this  or  probably  any  other  country 
contains.'  ^ 

Since  Long  Meg  is  included  in  MS.  F  (pp.  104-5),  where  it  is 
closely  related  to  Eccl.  Son.  1.2,  1.5,  and  to  the  group  headed 
by  3-35,  it  may  be  assumed  that  those  parts  of  Wordsworth's 
design  are  later  than  Jan.  6,  1821. 

By  March  27,  1821,  the  series  was  well  under  way.  Doro- 
thy wrote  to  Mrs.  Clarkson: 

'William  is  at  present  composing  a  series  of  sonnets  on  a 
subject  which  I  am  sure  you  would  never  divine, — the  Church 
of  England — but  you  will  perceive  that,  in  the  hands  of  a 
poet,  it  is  one  that  will  furnish  ample  store  of  poetic  materials. 
In  some  of  the  sonnets  he^has,  I  think,  been  most  successful.'  * 

^  Letters  2.146. 
2  Letters  2.138-9. 
'  Letters  2.147. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  29 

And  in  May  to  the  same  correspondent  she  sent  word: 
'My  brother  is  still  hard  at  work  with  his  sonnets.'^ 

By  Nov.  24,  1821,  however,  the  sonnets  were  'at  rest,'  as 
Dorothy  wrote  to  Crabb  Robinson. ^  Wordsworth  had  begun 
work  upon  the  Memorials  of  a  Tour  on  the  Continent,  1820, 

The  exact  date  of  the  sonnets  added  in  1827  remains  un- 
known. Except  for  3.12  (pp.  44,  200),  they  may  have  been 
among  those  'very  good'  ones  which  Dorothy  says  were 
written  shortly  before  Dec.  18,  1826. ^  The  sonnet  published 
in  1832  is  by  Knight  referred  to  Dec.  7,  1827  (p.  30);  but  the 
three  sonnets  published  in  1835  remain  undated,  unless  we  as- 
sume 2.4  to  be  based  on  St.  Bees,  written  during  or  after  the 
tour  of  1833  (p.  47).  To  Moxon,  who  was  preparing  the  edi- 
tion of  1836-7,  Wordsworth  wrote  (1836)  that  'the  ecclesiastical 
sonnet,  beginning  "Coldly  we  spake.  The  Saxons  over- 
powered,"' was  'new.'^ 

With  the  exception  of  Eccl.  Son.  2.1,  2.2,  2.9,  and  2.10,  the 
additions  of  1842  and  1845  ^I'e  elsewhere  (pp.  30-3,  50-3, 
54-7)  discussed  in  reference  to  MSS.  and  the  history  of  the 
text.     Knight  says  of  Eccl.  Son.  2.9,  and  2.10,  however: 

'In  a  letter  to  Professor  Henry  Reed,  Philadelphia,  Sep- 
tember 4,  1842,  Wordsworth  writes:  "To  the  second  part  of 
the  series  (the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets)  I  have  also  added  two, 
in  order  to  do  more  justice  to  the  Papal  Church  for  the  services 
which  she  did  actually  render  to  Christianity  and  humanity 
in  the  Middle  Ages.'''^ 

Dowden  repeats  Knight's  note  (omitting  the  words  'and 
humanity'  and  the  parenthesis).  He  also  applies  it  to  Eccl. 
Son.  2.9  and  2.10.  Smith  and  Hutchinson  likewise  assert 
that  2.9  and  2.10  were  composed  in  1842.     But  no  evidence 

1  Letters  2.150. 

2  Letters  2.160. 

3  Letters  2.299. 
<  Letters  3,120. 

6  P.  W.,  Edinburgh  ed.,  7.41;   Eversley  ed.,  7.42. 


30  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

is  given  by  Knight  or  Dowden  or  Smith  or  Hutchinson  that 
these  two  rather  than  2.1  and  2.2  are  the  sonnets  to  which 
Wordsworth  refers.  Indeed,  the  words  of  the  letter,  'did 
actually  render,'  point  to  2.2  and  2.9  as  more  explicitly  doing 
'justice  to  the  Papal  Church.'  Editors  have  not  yet  hazarded 
a  date  of  composition  for  2.1  and  2.2;  but  have,  without 
adequate  evidence,  believed  their  conclusion  on  2.9  and  2.10 
to  be  final. 

MANUSCRIPTS 

I.  Enumeration 

A.  MS.  of  Eccl.  Son.  2.2  in  Wordsworth's  own  handwriting. 

Quoted  by  Knight  (P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  1896,  7.37). 

B.  MS.  of  Eccl.  Son.  3.21,  dated  December  7,  1827,  sent  by 

W^ordsworth  to  Coleorton  Hall.  Also  MS.  of  Eccl.  Son. 
3.25.  Both  quoted  by  Knight  (P.  W.,  Eversley  ed., 
7.90-1,  93). 

C.  Variant  readings  for  Eccl.  Son.  2.1,  2.10,  3.12,  3.19,  3.26, 

3.29,  3.32,  given  among  the  MS.  additions  to  Lord 
Coleridge's  copy  of  the  1836-7  edition  of  Wordsworth's 
Poetical  Works.  Quoted  by  Knight  (P.  W.,  Eversley 
ed.,  7-35-6,  43,  83,  89,  94,  96,  98). 

D.  MS.  of  Eccl.  Son.  3.13,  3.14,  3.15,  sent  with  a  letter  from 

Wordsworth  to  Henry  Reed,  March  i,  1842.  The 
present  editor  has  consulted  the  original  in  the  collection 
of  Mrs.  St.  John. 

E.  MS.  of  Eccl.  Son.  3.16,  3.26,  3.27,  3.29,  3.30,3.28,3,31, 

and,  in  part,  3.32  and  3.19,  sent  with  a  letter  from 
Wordsworth  to  Henry  Reed,  March  27,  1843.  The 
present  editor  has  consulted  the  original  in  the  col- 
lection of  Mrs.  St.  John. 

F.  MS.   of   Eccl.   Son.    in    part    (with   certain    Miscellaneous 

Sonnets,  certain  sonnets  from  Memorials  of  a  Tour  07i 
the  Continent,  1820,  and  one  of  the  Itinerary  Sonnets, 
i8jj).  This  MS.  is  in  the  collection  of  Mrs.  St.  John. 
It   has   been   consulted    by    the   present   editor,    who 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  31 

believes  it  to  be  a  copy  by  Mrs.  Wordsworth  of  an  early 
draft  of  Ecd.  Son.  In  this  edition  it  is  printed,  and 
evidence  is  given  for  its  authenticity. 

2.  Description  and  Discussion 

A,  B,  C 

Knight  is  the  authority  for  the  readings  of  A,  B,  and  C 
(P.  IF.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.37,  90-1,  93,  35-6,  43,  83,  89,  94,  96, 
98;    i.xlvi,  xlvii). 

D 

With  a  letter  of  March  i,  1842,  Wordsworth  sent  to  Henry 
Reed  a  copy  of  Ecd.  Son.  3.13,  3.14,  and  3.15.  The  original 
letter  in  Mrs.  St.  John's  collection  is  as  follows: 

'I  have  sent  you  three  sonnets  upon  certain  Aspects  of 
Christianity  in  America,  having  as  you  will  see  a  reference  to 
the  subject  upon  which  you  wished  me  to  write.  I  wish  they 
had  been  more  worthy  of  the  subject;  I  hope,  however,  you 
will  not  disapprove  of  the  connection,  which  I  have  thought 
myself  warranted  in  tracing,  between  the  Puritan  fugitives 
and  Episcopacy.' 

The  three  sonnets  accompanying  the  letter  are  written  upon 
a  double  sheet.  Wordsworth's  signature  is  affixed  to  each 
sonnet,  the  sonnet  itself  being  in  another  hand.  The  sheet  is 
undated,  and,  except  for  minor  differences  in  punctuation  and 
the  use  of  capital  letters,  contains  no  new  readings.  The 
second  of  the  three  sonnets  has  the  title  Return  to  the  Church 
in  England. 

E 

With  a  letter  of  March  2^,  1843,  Wordsworth  sent  to  Henry 
Reed  a  copy  of  Ecd.  Son.  3.16,  3.26,  3.27,  3.29,  3.30,  3.28, 
3.31,  and,  in  part,  3.32  and  3.19.  The  original  letter,  in  Mrs. 
St.  John's  collection,  contains  the  following  statement: 

'I  send  you  according  to  your  wish,  the  additions  to  the 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.' 


32  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Reed's  reply,  written  April  27,  1843,  is  also  quoted  from 
the  original : 

'Your  letter  of  the  27th  of  March  reached  me  some  days 
ago.  .  .  .  Let  me  most  cordially  thank  you  for  the  precious 
enclosures  in  your  letter.  The  Church  sonnets  have  an  es- 
pecial interest  inasmuch  as  they  give  a  completeness  to  the 
Ecclesiastical  series  which  was  very  greatly  to  be  desired. 
There  now  seems  to  be  nothing  wanting  in  fulfilment  of  the 
design  of  this  imaginative  commentary  (if  that  be  not  too 
prosaic  a  title)  upon  the  history  and  services  of  the  Church.' 

The  MS.  which  accompanies  these  letters  of  March  and 
April  in  the  Wordsworth-Reed  correspondence  was  pointed 
out  to  the  present  editor  by  Mrs.  St.  John  in  1919.  It  bears 
no  date,  but  it  is  creased  into  folds  exactly  corresponding  to 
the  cover  of  the  letter  it  is  supposed  to  accompany,  and  satisfies 
the  references  to  such  a  document  made  by  both  Reed  and 
Wordsworth.  Moreover,  the  cover  itself,  which  is  stamped 
'Ambleside  Mr.  30,  1843,'  'Ambleside  Ap  2,  1843,'  and 
'Returned  for  postage,'  has  the  following  note  written  on  one 
flap  of  it: 

'  I  will  be  much  obliged  if  you  will  have  the  enclosed  sonnets 
copied  and  sent  to  Bp.  Doane,  who  has  not  given  me  his 
address.     W.  W.' 

The  document  is  a  double  sheet  written  on  all  four  pages. 
The  sonnets  included  are  *  Bishops  and  Priests,'  TJie  Marriage 
Ceremony,  Thanksgiving  after  Childbirth,  The  Commination 
Service,  Forms  of  Prayer  at  Sea,  Visitation  of  the  Sick,  and 
Funeral  Service.  Then  follow  alterations  of  Rural  Ceremony 
and  of  The  Liturgy. 

Clearly,  E  is  the  important  evidence  for  the  date  of  Eccl. 
Son.  3.16,  3.29,  and  3.30,  respectively  '  Bishops  and  Priests,'  The 
Commination  Service,  and  Forms  of  Prayer  at  Sea.  These 
must  have  been  composed  before  March  27,  1843.  That  they 
were  composed  after  September  4,  1842,  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  Wordsworth  did  not  mention  them  in  their  necessary 


Facsimile  of  a  page  of  the  letter  from  \\  ordsworth  to 

Henry  Reed,  September  4.  1842. 

In  the  collection  of  Mrs.  St.  John. 


OF  WILLIAM   VVORDSVVORTM  33 

connection  when  on  that  date  he  wrote  to  Henry  Reed  as 
follows : 

'A  few  days  ago  after  a  very  long  interval  I  returned  to 
poetical  composition;  and  my  first  employment  was  to  write 
a  couple  of  sonnets  recommended  by  you  to  take  place  in  the 
Ecclesiastical  series.  They  are  upon  the  Marriage  Ceremony, 
and  the  Funeral  Service.  I  have  also,  at  the  same  time, 
added  two  others,  one  upon  Visiting  the  Sick,  and  the  other 
upon  The  Thanksgiving  of  Women  after  Childbirth,  both 
subjects  taken  from  the  services  of  our  Liturgy.' 

This  letter,  a  page  of  which  is  here  reproduced  in  facsimile 
from  the  original  in  Mrs.  St.  John's  collection,  is  final  evidence 
also  of  the  date  of  Ecd.  Son.  3.26,  3.27,  3.28,  and  3.31 — 
respectively.  The  Marriage  Ceremony,  Thanksgiving  after  Child- 
birth, Visitation  of  the  Sick,  and  Funeral  Service.  They  were 
composed  'a  few  days'  before  September  4,  1842.^ 

F 

By  far  the  most  helpful  of  these  six  MSS.  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
Sonnets,  although  we  are  at  some  pains  to  establish  its  authen- 
ticity and  value,  is  a  paper-covered  note-book  which  came  to 
Mrs.  St.  John  from  the  sale  of  the  library  of  the  Reverend 
W.  L.  Nichols. 

Mrs.  St.  John  has  written  the  following  data  on  the  cover 
of  the  note-book: 

'  Earliest  draft  of  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.  From  Rev.  \\\  L. 
Nichols'  sale  (1890)-! 893  sale  (autumn)  of  Woodlands, 
Bridgewater,  who  wrote  The  Qnantocks  and  their  Associations, 
read  in  Bath,  1871,  published  1891.  W.  L.  Nichols'  library 
was  rich  in  MS.  of  W.  W.'s  poems — in  early  MS.  especially. 
See  The  Athenceum,  Sept.  6,  1890.     J.  D.  Campbell.     F.  95.' 

The  MS.  is  undated.  There  are  57  pages  of  it,  including 
the  title-page,  on  one  side  of  which  is  WTitten  ECCLESIAS- 
TICAL SONNETS,  and  on  the  other  a  table  of  contents. 
Beginning  with  the  third,  the  pages  are  numbered,  1-55,  and 

^  For  a  discussion  of  this  point  see  my  article  in  Notes  and  Queries 
for  April  3,  1920. 

4 


34  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

both  sides  of  the  sheet  are  inscribed.  At  the  bottom  of  page 
I  are  the  words  'In  Miss  Wordsworth's  hand  writing';  of 
page  5,  'Partly  in  [here  it  is  impossible  to  tell  whether  the 
word  is  'Mrs.'  or  'Mr.']  Wordsworth's  hand  writing';  of 
page  6,  'In  ['Mrs.'  or  'Mr.']  Wordsworth's  hand  writing'; 
at  the  side  of  page  I2,  'In  ['Mrs.'  or  'Mr.']  Wordsworth  ['s] 
hand  writing';  at  the  bottom  of  page  54,  'In  ['Mrs.'  or  'Mr.'] 
Wordsworth ['s]  hand  writing.' 

There  are  in  the  note-book  versions  of  33  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
Sonnets,  versions  of  6  sonnets  now  belonging  to  other  series, 
and  several  fragments.  Although  the  sonnets  do  not  without 
exception  follow  the  order  in  which  they  were  published, 
they  have  a  general  continuity  of  their  own.  It  is,  however, 
worthy  of  remark  that,  barring  three  irrelevant  errors,  at  the 
head  of  each  sonnet  stands  the  Roman  numeral  proper  to  it 
in  the  editions  of  1845  and  following. 

After  careful  study  I  conclude  that  the  handwriting  of  F  is 
the  same  throughout  title,  table  of  contents,  headings,  sonnets, 
and  footnotes.  The  numbering,  the  references  to  the  scribes, 
and  the  title.  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  instead  of  Ecclesiastical 
Sketches,  indicate  that  the  MS.  cannot  be  the  earliest  draft  of 
the  series,  but  must  rather  be,  if  authentic,  a  late  copy  of 
such  a  draft. 

Since  there  seems  to  be  no  external  evidence  for  its  authen- 
ticity other  than  its  presence  in  the  libraries  of  Mrs.  St.  John 
and  the  Reverend  W.  L.  Nichols,  the  admissibility  of  MS.  F 
mainly  rests  on  internal  evidence.  And  if  internal  evidence 
establishes  the  right  of  MS.  F  to  represent  a  draft  of  the 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  earlier  than  1822,  it  is  well  to  ascertain 
the  identity  of  the  scribe,  in  order  that  the  good  faith  and 
accuracy  of  the  copy  may  be  attested. 

The  contents  of  the  note-book  are  in  this  edition  care- 
fully printed.  Irregular  punctuation  and  misspellings  have 
been  retained.  Penciled  data  occur  here  and  there  in  the 
note-book.  They  have  been  disregarded  in  the  printing  and 
in  the  discussion. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  35 

Internal  Evidence  for  the  Authenticity  of  MS.  F 

The  authenticity  and  priority  of  MS.  F  rest  upon  the  proof 
of  the  following  assumptions: 

(i)  The  MS.  contains  material  not  used  in  the  text  of  1822, 
but  adjacent  in  the  sources  to  the  material  that  is  used  in  the 
text  of  1822. 

(2)  The  MS.  is  in  form  nearer  to  the  original  conception  of 
.the  holy  river  than  is  the  text  of  1822. 

(3)  The  scope  of  the  series  in  the  MS.  accords  as  nearly 
with  Wordsworth's  original  intention  as  does  that  in  the  text 
of  1822,  but  the  MS.  is  less  complete  than  the  text. 

(4)  From  the  MS.  are  absent  all  the  sonnets  based  on  one 
of  Wordsworth's  most  important  sources. 

(5)  The  relation  of  sonnet  to  sonnet  in  the  MS.  is  such  that 
it  must  antedate  the  separate  publication  of  Mem.  Tour  Cont. 
1820  and  Eccl.  Sketches. 

(6)  Where, two  or  more  versions  of  a  sonnet  are  given,  or 
where  changes  are  made  in  the  text  of  a  sonnet,  the  improve- 
ment is  in  most  cases  undeniable;  and  it  is  the  corrected 
version  that  has  in  most  cases  prevailed. 

(I) 

The  MS.  contains  material  not  used  in  the  text  of  1822, 
but  adjacent  in  the  sources  to  the  material  that  is  used  in  the 
text  of  1822. 

First,  in  the  MS.  sonnet  on  the  Crusades  (1.34,  pp.  99, 
loi),  where  lines  9-10  read:  . 

As  a  sharp  pike  set  on  a  buckler's  boss 

Makes  an  efficient  portion  of  the  mighty  shield. 

The  figure  of  the  pike  in  the  buckler's  boss  is  used  by  Fuller 
in  the  Holy  War  (p.  14)  in  the  same  paragraph  with  the 
material  of  Eccl.  Son.  1.34. 1-8  (See  Notes,  p.  242).  This 
figure  is  not  retained  in  the  text  of  1822. 

Secondly,  in  one  of  the  MS.  sonnets  on  the  Waldenses  (2.14, 
p.  100),  where  line  8  reads: 

Cerberian  mouths  pursued  with  hideous  bark. 
The  figure  is  much  nearer  to  that  of  Fuller  (Holy  War,  p.  150), 


36  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

'This  ignivomous  cur  (sire  of  the  Htter  of  mendicant  friars 
called  Dominicanes)  did  bark  at  and  deeply  bite  the  poor 
Albigenses, '  than  is  the  reading  of  1822,  'Fell  Obloquy.'  For 
the  passage  from  Fuller,  on  which  Eccl.  Son.  2.14.8  is  based, 
see  Notes,  p.  256. 

Thirdly,  in  another  MS.  version  of  the  sonnet  on  the  Wal- 
denses  (2.14,  p.  100),  where  the  sestet  is  derived  from  Fuller's 
Holy  War  (pp.  141 -2).  In  1822  the  sestet  was  transferred  to 
the  Notes  of  that  edition.  For  the  passages  from  Fuller  on 
which  depend  both  earlier  and  final  versions  of  Eccl.  Son. 
2. 1 4.9-1 4,  see  Notes,  p.  256. 

Fourthly,  in  the  MS.  sonnet  on  Scene  in  Venice  (1.38,  p.  93), 
which  bears  the  heading  'A  scene  about  the  same  period  in 
the  church  of  St.  Mark,  Venice.'  This  detail  of  St.  Mark, 
prominent  in  Foxe's  Acts  and  Monuments  1.185  (See  Notes, 
p.  245),  is  not  retained  in  the  text  of  1822. 

Such  proof  is  final  for  the  sonnets  concerned,  and  indicative 
for  the  note-book  as  a  whole. 

(2) 

The  MS.  is  in  form  nearer  to  the  original  conception  of  the 
holy  river  than  is  the  text  of  1822. 

First,  there  are  included  as  an  integral  part  of  the  series 
versions  of  four  sonnets  illustrating  events  by  means  of  the 
phenomena  of  river  and  sky:  Mem.  Tour  Cont.  1820  13  (two 
versions);  Eccl.  Son.  3.12  (not  published  with  this  series  until 
1827;  in  1822  appearing  as  one  of  the  Mem.  Tour  Cont.  1820) ; 
Mem.  Tour  Cont.  1820  34  (three  versions) ;  and  Misc.  Son.  2.9 
(pp.  83,  102,  90,  90,  91,  96,  94). 

Secondly,  two  references  in  the  MS.  to  rivers  have  been 
discarded  in  the  text  of  1822:  in  1.2  or  1.5  (p.  82). 

(3) 

The  scope  of  the  series  accords  as  nearly  with  Wordsworth's 
original  intention  as  does  that  of  the  text  of  1822;  but  the 
MS.  is  less  complete  than  the  text. 

Wordsworth  said  in  the  Advertisement  to  the  edition  of 
1822: 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  37 

'During  the  month  of  December,  1820,  I  accompanied  a 
much-loved  and  honoured  Friend  in  a  walk  through  different 
parts  of  his  estate,  with  a  view  to  fix  upon  the  site  of  a  new 
Church  which  he  intended  to  erect.  .  .  .  Not  long  afterwards, 
some  of  the  Sonnets  which  will  be  found  towards  the  close  of 
this  series  were  produced  as  a  private  memorial  of  that  morn- 
ing's occupation.' 

Two  such  sonnets  are  in  MS.  F:  Alisc.  Son.  3.7,  Eccl.  Son. 
3.41 ;  and  Eccl.  Son.  3.44,  unless  it  had  been  written  at  Cam- 
bridge. However,  Eccl.  Son.  3.39  and  3.40  are  not  included 
in  MS.  F. 

Wordsworth  continued  in  the  Advertisement: 

'The  Catholic  Question,  which  was  agitated  in  Parliament 
about  that  time,  kept  my  thoughts  in  the  same  course;  and 
it  struck  me  that  certain  points  in  the  Ecclesiastical  History 
of  our  Country  might  advantageously  be  presented  to  view 
in  verse.' 

These  certain  points  in  MS.  F  are  the  archiepiscopal  influence 
on  Henry  V,  the  troubles  of  Charles  I,  the  insult  to  the  bones 
of  Wyclif,  eminent  reformers,  the  abuses  suffered  by  Henry 
H  and  John,  the  interdict  in  the  reign  of  John,  the  humiliation 
of  Frederick  Barbarossa,  the  danger  from  Charles  H,  the 
exiles  during  the  Marian  persecution,  the  character  of  William 
of  Nassau,  the  Crusades,  the  Gunpowder  Plot,  the  persecution 
of  the  Waldenses,  Elizabeth,  Cranmer,  and  the  mutability  of 
outward  forms. 

Here  it  may  be  well  to  quote  a  passage  from  the  Preface  of 
Christopher  Wordsworth's  Ecclesiastical  Biography,  1810.  He 
is  discussing  his  scheme  and  its  limitations  (i.xi-xii): 

'  Besides  those  obvious  ones  of  restricting  the  history  to  that 
of  our  own  country,  and  to  the  lives  of  our  fellow  countrymen, 
there  appeared  to  me  many  reasons  why  the  work  should 
begin  with  the  preparations  towards  a  Reformation  by  the 
labors  of  Wickliffe  and  his  followers,  and  not  a  few  why  it 
might  well  stop  at  the  Revolution.  Within  those  limits  are 
comprehended,  if  we  except  the  first  establishment  of  Christi- 


3S  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

anity  amongst  us,  the  rise,  progress,  and  issue  of  the  principal 
agitations  and  revolutions  of  the  public  mind  of  this  country 
in  regard  to  matters  of  Religion: — namely,  the  Reformation 
from  Popery,  and  the  glories  and  horrors  attending  that  hard- 
fought  struggle;  the  subsequent  exorbitances  and  outrages  of 
the  Anti-popish  spirit,  as  exemplified  by  the  Puritans;  the 
victory  of  that  spirit,  in  ill-suited  alliance  with  the  principles 
of  civil  liberty,  over  loyalty  and  the  Established  Church,  in 
the  times  of  Charles  the  First;  the  wretched  systems  and 
practices  of  the  Sectaries,  during  the  Commonwealth,  and  the 
contests  for  establishment  between  the  Presbyterians  and 
Independents  at  the  same  period;  the  hasty  return  of  the 
nation,  weary  and  sick  of  the  long  reign  of  confusion,  to  the 
ancient  constitution  of  things,  at  the  Restoration;  the  opera- 
tion of  those  confusions,  and  of  the  ill-disciplined  triumph  of 
the  adverse  party  upon  the  state  of  morals  and  religion,  during 
the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  the  second  Charles ;  the  endeavors 
of  Charles  and  his  brother  to  restore  Popery,  and  introduce 
despotism;  the  noble  exertions  of  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of 
England,  at  that  interval,  in  behalf  of  natural  and  revealed 
Religion,  and  Protestantism,  and  civil  liberty;  the  Revolution 
of  1688,  together  with  the  ascertainment  of  the  distinct  nature 
and  rights  of  an  established  Church,  and  a  religious  toleration; 
and  the  principles  of  the  Non-jurors.' 

In  their  final  ordering  the  Ecclesiastical  Somiets  exceed  the 
scheme  of  Christopher  Wordsworth  in  five  notable  particulars. 
They  include: 

a.  An  extensive  group  relating  to  'the  first  establishment 
of  Christianity'  in  Britain,  based  mainly  on  Turner  and  Bede. 

b.  Sonnets  on  the  growth  of  the  papal  power. 

c.  The  Aspects  of  Christianity  in  America,  added  many  years 
later  at  the  suggestion  of  Henry  Reed  and  Bishop  Doane. 

d.  A  group  on  the  liturgy. 

e.  An  extensive  group  on  the  mutabihty  of  external  forms 
and  on  ecclesiastical  architecture. 

All  of  these  elements  except  c.  are  to  some  degree  present  in 
MS.  F,  but  b.  and  e.  are  most  important,  as  is  to  be  expected 
from  Wordsworth's  Advertisement;  a.  would  be  an  exten- 
sion   desirable   for  the  better  understanding   of    b.     Never- 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  39 

theless,  for  the  scope  of  the  narrative  proper  in  MS.  F,  WiHiam 
Wordsworth  follows  Christopher  Wordsworth.  If  we  except 
Diodetian,  the  assumed  'earliest  draft*  begins  'with  the 
preparations  towards  a  Reformation  by  the  labors  of  Wickliffe ' 
and  stops  at  'the  Revolution  of  1688.' 

This  vital  connection  of  MS.  F  with  Christopher  Words- 
worth's design  and  with  Wordsworth's  own  intention  consti- 
tutes one  of  the  strongest  arguments  for  its  authenticity. 

(4) 

From  the  MS.  are  absent  all  the  sonnets  based  on  one  of 
W^ordsworth's  most  important  sources,  viz.,  The  History  of  the 
Anglo-Saxons,  by  Sharon  Turner. 

Furthermore,  Bede,  whose  Ecclesiastical  History  Wordsworth 
used  very  freely  in  Part  i,  is  represented  in  MS.  F  only  by  the 
sestet  on  the  martyrdom  of  Alban ;  the  Wordsworthian  account 
of  the  famous  speech,  'Man's  life,'  etc.  {Eccl.  Son.  1.16)  is 
taken  from  Fuller,  not  from  Bede. 

Finally,  none  of  the  sonnets  indispensably  based  on  the 
histories  of  Burnet  appear  in  MS.  F. 

Therefore  it  is  more  than  probable  that  so  definite  a  cleavage 
as  to  sources  indicates  priority  for  the  MS.  version. 

(5) 

The  relation  of  sonnet  to  sonnet  in  MS.  F  is  such  that  this 
must  antedate  the  separate  publication  of  Mem.  Tour  Cont. 
1820  and  Eccl.  Sketches. 

In  MS.  F  the  connection  is  logical  between  Eccl.  Son.  1.6 
(Diocletian)  and  Mem.  Tour  Cont.  1820  13:  compare  'malice,' 
and 'fear';  '  lightning,' and 'whirlwind  of  anger*;  'unavailing 
shield,'  and  'rocky  fortress';  'threats  could  shake,'  and 
'threatening  to  destroy';  'flowery  platform,'  and  'flowers 
beside  the  torrent  growing.  *  So  Eccl.  Son.  3.12  ('  Do\\'n  a  swift 
Stream')  and  Mem.  Tour  Cont.  1820  34:  compare  'calm  leisure,* 
and  'shallows'  (first  version).  Again,  Eccl.  Son.  1.38  {Papal 
Abuses)  and  Mem.  Tour  Cont.  1820  34:  compare  'sky's  fantastic 


40  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

element,'  and  'mimics  of  fancy'  (second  version).  Again, 
Eccl.  Son.  3.18  {Pastoral  Character)  and  its  intended  contrast 
Eccl.  Son.  1.39  {Scene  in  Venice),  a  contrast  illustrated  by 
Misc.  Son.  2.9.  Again,  Eccl.  Son.  1.4  {Druidical  Excom.)  and 
Poems  of  i8jj  43:  compare  'cumbrous  load,'  and  'sisterhood 
forlorn.'  Finally,  Eccl.  Son.  3.35  {Old  Abbeys)  and  Poems  of 
1^33  43-  compare  'pride  deserving  chastisement  severe,'  and 
'the  inviolable  god  that  tames  the  proud,'  and  notice  the 
connection  of  both  with  Eccl.  Son.  1.4. 

Therefore  it  is  doubtful  that  when  these  sonnets  were 
written  Wordsworth  had  yet  arranged  the  Mem.  Tour  Cont. 
1820. 

(6) 

Where  two  or  more  versions  of  a  sonnet  are  given,  or  where 
changes  are  made  in  the  text  of  a  sonnet,  the  improvement  is 
in  most  cases  undeniable;  and  it  is  the  corrected  version  that 
has  in  most  cases  survived.  Refer  to  the  corrections  in  the 
following  sonnets  of  MS.  F:  i.i,  1,2,  1.16,  2.17,  3.18,  2.37, 
3.19,  2.38,  3.34  on  pp.  81,  81-2,  84,  88,  93,  95,  98,  103,  108. 
Notice  also  that  the  following  sonnets  of  MS.  F  are  different 
from  any  printed  version:  1.5,  2.15,  1.34,  2,36,  1.4,  3.35  on 
pp.  82,  85,  99,  102,  105,  106. 

Such  evidence,  it  seems  to  me,  proves  these  six  assumptions 
in  regard  to  MS.  F:  that  it  bears  an  authentic  relation  to 
Wordsworth's  sources,  his  design,  and  hip  purposes;  and  that 
it  is  early  in  regard  to  his  use  of  sources,  his  ordering  of  his 
material,  and  his  artistic  revi-ion. 

Therefore,  as  far  as  internal  evidence  may  be  considered 
valid,  MS.  F  is  admitted  as  an  authentic  representation  of 
the  sonnets  included  in  it.  One  could  not,  however,  safely 
assert  that  a  sonnet  wanting  in  MS.  F  was  not  of  early  com- 
position, or  did  not  belong  to  the  series  as  first  conceived. 

The  Scribe  of  MS.  F 

Next,  it  is  well  to  ascertain  the  identity  of  the  scribe,  in  order 
that  the  good  faith  and  accuracy  of  the  copy  may  be  attested. 


Facsimile  of  Mary  Wordsworth's  script,  July  i8,  1842, 
In  the  collection  of  Mrs.  St.  John. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  41 

The  available  evidence  points  to  Mary  WordFworth,  a 
facsimile  of  whose  handwriting  on  July  i8,  1842,  is  here  re- 
produced. Although  she  formed  her  letters  very  much  in  the 
manner  of  the  poet,  her  script  of  the  later  period  is  more  fluent 
and  steady  than  his.  This  appears  from  a  comparison  of  the 
two  documents  (facing  pp.  32  and  40)  to  which  Reed  referred 
on  November  14,  1842  (MS.): 

'Since  last  I  wrote  to  you,  I  have  had  the  gratification  of 
receiving  your  two  letters  (of  July  and  a  few  days  ago  that 
of  Sept.  4).  From  the  last  being  in  your  own  handwriting  I 
was  glad  to  infer  that  the  inflammation  of  your  eyes  mentioned 
in  the  former  letter  had  passed  away,  and  that  you  are  in  the 
enjoyment  of  your  usual  excellent  health.' 

After  careful  study  of  these  letters  and  other  documentary 
evidence,  I  conclude  that  Mary  Wordsworth  is  the  scribe  of 
MS.  F. 

Importance  of  MS.  F 

MS.  F  is  important  for  the  following  reasons: 

First,  it  contains  a  fund  of  information  for  the  student  of 
Wordsworth's  art.  If  use  of  sources  be  the  subject  of  investi- 
gation, the  three  versions  of  Waldenses  in  the  MS.  are  valuable 
data.  If  the  refining  of  phrase  and  the  excision  of  useless 
material  be  studied,  the  lessons  taught  on  every  page  of  the 
MS.  are  no  less  helpful. 

Secondly,  it  contains  some  35  unpublished  lines  of  Words- 
worth's composition. 

Thirdly,  when  compared  with  the  final  version  of  the 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  MS.  F  permits  a  study  of  the  develop- 
ment of  structure,  and  hence  justifies  an  estimate  of  Words- 
worth's power  to  build.  The  formal  beauty  of  the  series  is 
not  an  accident;  it  is  an  achievement  the  stages  of  which 
one  may  now  follow  in  detail. 

Fourthly,  MS.  F  indicates  more  clearly,  because  more 
fundamentally,  than  does  the  final  version,  that  Wordsworth's 
main  purpose  was  to  warn  against  bigotry,  rage,  and  pride, 


42  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

and  against  'the  pomps  and  vanities  of  earth.'  Tolerance, 
humihty,  pure  faith,  constitute  the  ideal  of  MS.  F  no  less 
than  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets. 

Fifthly,  MS.  F,  almost  entirely  lacking  in  reference  to  the 
Church  of  the  Middle  Ages,  is  the  strongest  evidence  for  one 
of  Wordsworth's  greatest  imaginative  feats.  Not  until  after 
the  first  draft  of  his  Church  history  was  accomplished  did  he 
see  that  its  scope  demanded  the  sympathetic  and  scholarly 
study  of  a  period  hitherto  known  to  him  chiefly  through  its 
ecclesiastical  monuments.  Taking  his  cue  possibly  from 
Dyer's  History  of  Cambridge  1.135,  155,  with  its  references  to 
Sharon  Turner's  History  of  the  Anglo-Saxons,  he  procured  the 
work  of  Turner,  the  best  English  book  of  its  sort  in  existence 
at  the  time.  With  it  and  with  Bede's  Ecclesiastical  History, 
the  main  original  source,  he  proceeded  to  so  careful  a  delinea- 
tion of  his  subject  that  the  result  of  his  effort,  Part  i  of  the 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  is  unique  in  English  literature  as  a 
poetical  account  of  the  establishment  and  growth  of  Christi- 
anity in  England. 

EDITIONS    1822-1857 

I.  Enumeration 

a.  Ecclesiastical  Sketches  by  William  Wordsworth.     London: 

Printed  for  Longman,  Hurst,  Rees,  Orme,  and  Brown, 
Paternoster-Row.  1822.  Printed  by  A.  and  R.  Spottis- 
woode,  New-Street-Square. 

b.  Eccl.  Son.  2.43  and  3.12  are  printed  in  the  volume:  Me- 

morials of  a  Tour  on  the  Contineyit,  1820.  By  William 
Wordsworth.  London:  Printed  for  Longman,  Hurst, 
Reese,  Orme,  and  Brown,  Paternoster- Row.     1822. 

c.  [In  volume  3  of]  The  Poetical  Works  of  William  Wordsworth. 

In  Five  Volumes.  London:  Printed  for  Longman,  Reese, 
Orme,  Brown,  and  Green,  Paternoster- Row.     1827. 

d.  [In  volume  3  of]  The  Poetical  Works  of  William  Wordsworth. 

A  New  Edition.  In  Four  Volumes.  London:  Printed  for 
Longman,  Reese,  Orme,  Brown,  Green,  and  Longman, 
Paternoster-Row.     1832. 


^^^Jcc^   f^j>c^  J^^^    /*^^  /*^   -^^  <<     '^^'^^^^ 

^^^  /^^•^^  .>*i^  z^^-^^-j^  /^  ^^^  ^  4^^ 

(^    ^/^i*^   Xc,^    ^5e^ft.*a&-^    /^-    X^^^^^rY   ^  />y*- 


Facsimile  of  MS.  F,  p.  51. 

In  the  collection  of  Mrs.  St.  John. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  43 

e.  Eccl.  Son.  2.4,  2.12,  and  2.13  are  printed  in  the  volume: 
Yarroiv  Revisited,  And  Other  Poems.  By  William  Words- 
worth. London:  Printed  for  Longman,  Reese,  Orme, 
Brown,  Green,  &  Longman,  Paternoster-Row;  and  Ed- 
ward Moxon,  Dover  Street,     1835. 

/.  [In  volume  4  of]  The  Poetical  Works  of  William  Wordsworth. 
A  New  Edition.  In  Six  Volumes.  London:  Edward 
Moxon,  Dover  Street.     [1837.] 

g.  [In  the  volume  entitled]  The  Sonnets  of  William  Words- 
worth. Collected  in  One  \^olume,  with  A  Few  Additional 
Ones,  now  First  Published.  London:  Edward  Moxon, 
Dover  Street.     [1838.] 

h.  'The  stereotyped  edition  of  the  poems  in  six  volumes, 
published  in  1836-7,  was  re-issued,  with  a  revised  and 
slightly  altered  text,  in  1840,  and  this  edition  of  1840 
again  was  also  reprinted  in  1841,  1842,  1843  .  .  .  '  (P. 
W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  xxxii.) 

[In  volume  4  of]  The  Poetical  Works  of  William  Words- 
worth. A  New  Edition.  In  Six  Volumes.  London: 
Edward  Moxon,  Dover  Street.     [1840.]     [1841.]     [1843.] 

i.  Eccl.  Son.  3.13,  3.14,  and  3.15  are  printed  in  the  volume: 
Poems,  Chiefly  of  Early  and  Late  Years;  Including  The 
Borderers,  a  Tragedy.  By  William  Wordsworth.  Lon- 
don: Edward  Moxon,  Dover  Street.     [1842.] 

j.  [In  the  volume  entitled]  7"/ze  Poems  of  William  Wordsworth, 
D.C.L.,  Poet  Latireate,  etc.,  etc.  A  New  Edition.  Lon- 
don: Edward  Moxon,  Dover  Street.     [1845.] 

k.  [In  volume  4  of]  The  Poetical  Works  of  Williayn  Wordsworth, 
D.C.L.,  Poet  Laureate,  etc.  In  Seven  Volumes.  A  New 
and  Revised  Edition.  London.  Edward  Moxon,  Dover 
Street.     [1846.] 

/.  [In  volume  4  of]  The  Poetical  Works  of  William  Wordsworth, 
D.C.L.,  Poet  Laureate,  etc.,  etc.  In  Six  Volumes.  A 
New  Edition.  London:  Edward  Moxon,  Dover  Street. 
[1850.] 

m.  'In   1857  a  six- volume  edition  of  the  poems  appeared,  in 


44  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SOxNNETS 

which  the  notes  dictated  in  1843  by  the  poet  to  Miss 
Fen  wick  were  first  pubHshed,  being  prefixed  to  the  indi- 
vidual pieces  to  which  they  severally  refer.'  (P.  PF., 
Oxford  ed.,  p.  xxxii.) 

2.  History  of  the  Text 

I 

a,  b 

In  1822  Wordsworth  published  under  the  title  Ecclesiastical 
Sketches  102  sonnets,  disposed  in  three  parts,  of  38,  36,  and 
28  sonnets  respectively.  He  published  during  the  same  year 
the  Memorials  of  a  Tour  on  the  Continent,  1820.  Moreover, 
The  Jungfrau  and  the  Fall  of  the  Rhine  near  Schaffhatisefi 
appeared  in  both  series,  in  the  latter  with  the  following  note: 
'This  sonnet  belongs  to  another  publication,  but  from  its 
fitness  for  this  place  is  inserted  here  also.' 


From  the  Memorials  of  a  Tour  on  the  Continent,  1820,  Words- 
worth in  1827  transferred  the  Author  s  Voyage  down  the  Rhine 
(Thirty  Years  Ago)  to  the  Ecclesiastical  Sketches  as  'Down  a 
swift  Stream,  thus  far,  a  bold  design,'  now  3.12.  It  was 
thoroughly  revised  and  helped  to  fill  what  Henry  Reed  four- 
teen years  later  called  'almost  a  vacant  niche'  after  the 
Obligations  of  Civil  to  Religious  Liberty  (MS.  of  a  letter  to 
Wordsworth,  April  28,  1 841). 

Obviously  3.12  was  introduced  for  its  value  in  the  figure  of 
the  'holy  river.'  But  10  other  sonnets  were  added  to  the 
edition  of  1827,  where  the  plot  would  best  support  a  renewed 
caution  against  the  perils  of  idolatry,  cruelty,  and  fanati- 
cism (2.30,  2.33,  2.34,  3.7,  3. II,  3.36:  respectively,  The 
Point  at  Issue,  Revival  of  Popery,  Latimer  and  Ridley,  Perse- 
cution of  the  Scottish  Covenanters,  Sacheverel,  Emigrant  French 
Clergy)',  or  where  the  liturgical  theme  might  be  expanded 
with  a  possible  gain  in  dignity  and  repose  (3.20,  3.23,  3.24, 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  45 

3.25:  respectively,  Baptism,  Confirmation,  Confirmation  Con- 
tinned,  Sacrament). 

A  comparison  of  these  with  other  poems  first  pubHshed  in 
1827  shows  that  the  poet's  access  of  zeal  for  spiritual  freedom 
was  shaped  into  a  clear  definition  of  the  means  whereby  he 
thought  it  was  to  be  secured:  Faith  and  Grace.  Latimer  and 
Ridley  were  coupled  in  the  '  might  of  Faith ' ;  '  Faith  preserved 
her  ancient  purity'  in  Alpine  vales  when  'the  majesty  of 
England  interposed';  English  shores  gave  to  the  'Faith'  of 
the  emigrant  French  clergy  'a  fearless  resting-place.'  And, 
above  all,  the  wise  contend  for  'Faith'  in  the  Point  at  Issue, 
surely  one  of  the  most  characteristic  of  all  Wordsworth's 
sonnets,  even  when  considered  apart  from  its  place  as  the 
keystone  of  the  structure  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.  'Grace 
descendeth  from  above'  at  baptism,  and  the  'Fountain  of 
Grace'  is  lauded  and  magnified  before  the  sacrament.^ 

George  Herbert's  The  Temple:  The  Church  Porch  must  have 
been  in  Wordsworth's  mind  at  this  time.  From  it  (stanza  i) 
he  adapted  the  motto  prefixed  to  the  series  in  1827.2  To 
Herbert,  as  to  Walton,  Wordsworth  returned  with  a  deepening 
sense  of  kinship.  Meekness,  piety,  and  exalted  purpose  were 
already  to  be  found  in  the  Ecclesiastical  Sketches  of  1822; 
faith  and  grace  were  emphasized  in  the  additions  of  1827. 

And  the  details  of  this  first  revision  are  so  many  specific 
indications  that  Wordsworth  had  been  at  work  in  a  spirit  of 
stern  economy:  'glad  step'  (i.i.i)  became  'faithful  pace'; 
'wild  Companion'  (1.1.3)  became  'spirit  ruled  by  his';  'the 
glorious  City'  (1.13.4)  became  'the  immortal  City';    'Sweet 

^  Cf.  Misc.  Son.  2.5,  2.37,  3.44;  and  the  poem  prefatory  to  P.  W., 
If  thou  indeed. 

2  A  verse  may  find  him,  who  a  Sermon  flies, 
And  turn  delight  into  a  Sacrifice. 

— Herbert. 

A  verse  may  catch  a  wandering  Soul,  that  flies 
Profounder  Tracts,  and  by  a  blest  surprise 
Convert  delight  into  a  Sacrifice. 

— Wordsworth. 


46  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

Hallelujahs'  (1.13.14)  became  'Glad  Hallelujahs';  'prurient 
speculations'  (2.37.9)  became  'speculative  notions';  and, 
perhaps  most  clearly  indicative  of  all,  'polity  and  discipline' 
(2.40.10)  became  'doctrine  and  communion.'  The  diction 
was  remodeled  to  please  the  sensitive  ear;  phrases  carefully 
involved  were  no  less  carefully  turned  into  their  substantive 
elements,  with  resulting  fluency  and  power;  the  first  two  lines 
of  3.32  were  revised  to  accord  with  the  new  members  of  the 
liturgical  group;  and,  finally,  the  order  of  the  sonnets  near 
the  beginning  of  Part  3  stood  as  follows:  Latitudinarianisniy 
Clerical  Integrity,  Persecution  of  the  Scottish  Covenanters,  Ac- 
quittal of  the  Bishops,  William  the  Third,  Obligations  of  Civil  to 
Religious  Liberty,  'Down  a  swift  Stream,'  Walton's  Book  of 
Lives,  Sacheverel,  Places  of  Worship. 

In  the  arrangement  of  1827  the  three  parts  contained  38, 
39,  36  sonnets  respectively. 

Notable,  too,  is  the  position  of  Ecclesiastical  Sketches  in  the 
collection.  Although  later  to  be  shifted,  the  series  was  first 
included  among  the  substantial  poems:  the  Memorials  of  the 
tours  of  1803,  1814,  and  1820,  the  Poems  071  the  Naming  of 
Places,  Inscriptions,  and  the  series  of  National  Independence 
and  Liberty. 

d 

Five  years  later,  in  1832,  Wordsworth  transferred  the  series 
into  the  company  of  The  White  Doe  of  Rylstojie  and  the  Poems 
of  Sentiment  and  Reflection.  The  project  of  increasing  the 
liturgical  group,  which,  as  the  variant  readings  show,  long 
continued  a  moot  point  with  him,  gained  in  favor.  The  one 
sonnet  added  this  year  was  Sponsors,  now  3.21.  But  he 
maintained  a  well-nigh  perfect  numerical  balance,  part  to 
part:  38,  39,  37.  His  preference  for  ideas  over  images  and 
his  use  of  expressions  which  more  and  more  transcend  each 
other  would  lead  him  in  1845  to  an  abstract  vocabulary  and  a 
neutral  style;  as  yet,  though  simple  and  formal,  his  lines  were 
vigorous:  'Melts  into  silent  shades  the  Youth'  (2.33.1)  became 
'The  saintly  Youth  has  ceased  to  rule.'     We  find  the  search 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  47 

for  the  distinct  word  unabated:  'peace  and  equity'  (1.24.7) 
became 'justice  and  peace. '  Wordsworth  had  long  been  ex- 
pounding the  cost  of  peace,  and  the  distinction  between 
equity  and  justice;  here  the  point  was  well  taken.  Indeed, 
the  propriety  of  the  changes  in  the  text  so  far  is  easy  to  see. 
Almost  without  exception  they  make  for  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  poet's  aim,  and,  thanks  to  the  soundness  of 
his  original  conception  and  to  his  spacious  design,  have  not 
impaired  the  one  or  encumbered  the  other. 


The  volume  Yarrow  Revisited  appeared  in  1835  with  this 
note  (p.  281):  'The  three  following  Sonnets  are  an  intended 
addition  to  the  Ecclesiastical  Sketches,  the  first  to  stand  second ; 
and  the  two  that  succeed,  seventh  and  eighth,  in  the  second 
part  of  the  series. — See  the  author's  Poems. — They  are  placed 
here  as  having  some  connection  with  the  foregoing  poem.' 
The  three  sonnets,  now  2.4,  2.12,  and  2.13,  were  'Deplorable 
his  lot  who  tills  the  ground,'  The  Vaudois,  and  'Praised  be  the 
Rivers,  from  their  mountain  springs';  and  the  foregoing 
poem  was  Stanzas  Suggested  in  a  Steamboat  off  St.  Bees'  Heads, 
on  the  Coast  of  Cumberland.  Lines  136-44  of  the  latter  are 
in  substance  the  same  as  Eccl.  Son.  2.4.  But  the  sonnet  has 
by  far  a  stricter  economy  and  a  closer  application  than  the 
nine  lines  from  which,  for  this  very  reason,  I  judge  that  it  was 
remodeled. 

If  the  derivation  be  from  stanzas  to  sonnet,  to  the  remnants 
of  mediaeval  culture  which  Wordsworth  saw  on  his  tour  of 
1833  may  be  given  partial  credit  for  his  subsequent  desire  to 
build  up  the  beginning  of  Part  2  into  a  juster  estimate  of 
mediaeval  institutions,  as  institutions;  their  history  and 
persons  and  circumstances  he  had  fully  set  forth  in  1822.  Is 
it  not  akin  to  the  temper  of  previous  changes  of  the  text,  this 
desire  to  perpetuate  the  institution  and  the  idea  rather  than 
accidents  of  the  former  and  perversions  of  the  latter? 


48  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

But  now  once  more  the  local  Heart?- revives, 
The  inextinguishable  Spirit  strives.^ 

The  remaining  two  sonnets  of  this  triad  were  not  so  im- 
portant in  themselves;  but  the  three  together  formed  an 
epitome  of  the  series,  the  plea  for  wise  organization  contrasted 
with  the  summons  to  spiritual  integrity,  both  crowned  by  a 
natural  image  which  made  the  whole  vivid.  In  conception 
Vaudois  must  be  much  earlier  than  1835,  for  its  source  is 
partly  Fuller's  Holy  War  (p.  140),  a  paragraph  where  the 
phrases  of  Waldenses  (1822)  are  closely  imbedded  with  it. 
Possibly  Wordsworth  remodeled  an  incomplete  and  discarded 
draft  of  Waldenses  to  compensate  for  the  new  emphasis  on 
monasticism  (cf.  MS.  F,  p.  100).  'Praised  be  the  Rivers' 
supplied  a  needed  tributary  for  the  'holy  river.'  Its  contents 
are  little  more  than  can  be  found  in  Poems  Dedicated  to  National 
Independence  and  Liberty  1.12,  1.16,  and  2.10,  with  perhaps  a 
reference  to  the  Venetian  breach  with  Rome  during  the 
ambassadorship  of  Henry  Wotton.^ 

/ 

Wordsworth  wrote  to  Moxon  of  the  edition  of  1836-7: 

'The  value  of  this  edition — as  hereafter  will  be  universally 
admitted — lies  in  the  pains  which  have  been  taken  in  the 
revisal  of  so  many  of  the  old  poems,  in  the  remodeling  and 
often  rewriting  of  whole  paragraphs,  which  you  know  has 
cost  me  great  labor,  and  I  do  not  repent  of  it.  In  the  poems 
lately  written  I  have  had  comparatively  little  trouble.' ^ 

With  the  addition  of  'Coldly  we  spake,'  1.32,  and  the  three 
sonnets  of  1835,  Ecclesiastical  Sketches  now  made  their  appear- 
ance as  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.  The  division  into  three  parts 
of  39,  42,  and  37  sonnets  respectively  was  still  a  proportionate 
one,  and  the  textual  changes,  while  not  so  much  of  a  kind, 


^  St.  Bees  149-50. 
2  Walton,  Lives  1.148. 
^  Letters  3.120. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  49 

give  no  hint  that" the  poet  would  endanger  the  unity  of  the 
series,  or  that  he  failed  to  preserve  a  sane  estimate  of  each 
individual  sonnet. 

He  capitalized  fewer  nouns  in  this  edition,  and  revised  words 
which  were  obsolescent  or  over-precise:  'Frame  (1.20.1)  be- 
came 'Body';  'nicer  heed'  (2.3.2)  became  'stricter  heed'; 
'dreadless'  (3.36.14)  became  'fearless.'  He  consistently  aban- 
doned the  use  of  noun  as  adjective:  'forest  arches  cool' 
(1.22.7)  became  'sylvan  arches  cool';  'enthusiast  powers' 
(1.35. 13)  became  'Enthusiasts';  'Convent  Gate'  (2.22.7)  be- 
came 'Convent's  gate';  'phantom  lakes*  (2.27.13)  became 
'spectral  lakes.'  He  took  from  certain  phrases  their  partisan 
ferv'or;  and  hence  some  passages  had  the  curious  effect  of 
under-statement.  The  thorough  '  remodehng '  given  to  parts  of 
1. 16,  1.27,  2.8,  2.13,  resulted  in  the  sacrifice  of  a  few  specious 
and  rhetorical  passages,  but  his  intensity  of  a  decade  ago  was 
lacking:  And  on  the  whole  the  changes  were  cautious  rather 
than  economical. 

g 

Except  for  2.14,  the  few  textual  changes  of  this  series  in 
the  volume  of  1838  were  slight,  and  seem  generally  to  have 
been  disregarded  during  the  preparation  of  later  editions. 

Wordsworth  wrote  to  Reed  July  5,  1844: 

'What  you  advise  in  respect  to  a  separate  publication  of 
my  Church  poetry,  I  have  often  turned  in  my  own  mind;  but 
I  have  really  done  so  little  in  that  way,  compared  with  the 
magnitude  of  the  subject,  that  I  have  not  courage  to  venture 
on  such  a  publication.  Besides,  it  would  not,  I  fear,  pay  its 
expenses.  The  Sonnets  were  so  published  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  a  deceased  nephew  of  mine,  one  of  the  first 
scholars  of  Europe,  and  as  good  as  he  was  learned.'^ 

It  is  owing  to  John,  son  of  Christopher  Wordsworth,  then, 
that  The  Sonnets  of  William  Wordsworth  collected  in  one  volume 
appeared  in  1838  with  the  following  Advertisement: 

^  Memoirs  2.415-6. 
5 


50  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

'Some  of  my  friends  having  expressed  a  wish  to  see  all  the 
sonnets  that  are  scattered  through  several  volumes  of  my 
Poems  brought  under  the  eye  at  once;  this  is  done  in  the 
present  publication,  with  a  hope  that  a  collection  made  to 
please  a  few  may  not  be  unacceptable  to  many  others.  Twelve 
new  ones  are  added  which  were  composed  while  the  sheets 
were  going  through  the  press. 

My  admiration  of  some  of  the  sonnets  of  Milton  first 
tempted  me  to  write  in  that  form.  The  fact  is  not  mentioned 
from  a  notion  that  it  will  be  deemed  of  any  importance  by 
the  reader,  but  merely  as  a  public  acknowledgment  of  one  of 
the  innumerable  obligations  which,  as  a  poet  and  a  man,  I  am 
under  to  our  great  fellow-countryman.' 

So  many  of  Wordsworth's  books  were  introductions,  mis- 
cellanies, or  fragments,  or,  like  the  Lyrical  Ballads  and  The 
White  Doe  of  Rylstone,  were  the  outgrowth  of  some  one  period, 
that  the  volume  of  1838  has  a  unique  interest.  The  poems 
in  it  are  of  one  kind,  they  are  of  a  kind  in  which  Worc^sworth 
excelled,  and  they  are  representative  of  half  a  lifetime.  With 
this  in  mind,  and  some  regard  for  the  opinion  of  'one  of  the 
first  scholars  of  Europe,'  we  may  well  note  the  arrangement 
of  the  volume:  Miscellaneous  Sonnets,  Political  Sonnets, 
Itinerary  Sonnets,  The  River  Duddon,  and  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets. 
The  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  were  placed  at  the  apex  of  a  series. 

II 


The  name  of  Henry  Reed  serves  as  a  preface  to  the  next 
chapter  in  the  history  of  the  text.  Without  him  this  series 
might  have  rested  at  the  summit  of  the  body  of  Wordsworth's 
sonnets,  the  purity  of  its  outline  undisturbed,  its  purpose 
still  single. 

Reed  was  courtly — almost  fulsome — in  address,  as  we  come 
to  know  him  through  his  letters.  Yet  he  was  strong  and  very 
fine;  it  is  easy  to  see  how  firmly  and  completely  he  fitted  into 
the  thoughts  and  moods  of  Wordsworth's  old  age.  He  failed 
to  realize,  however,  that  the  Ecclesiastical  Somiets  constituted 


OF   WILLIAM   \V0RD3W0RTH  51 

a  narrative  poem  written  on  the  history  of  the  Engh'sh  Church. 
His  zeal  to  expand  its  frail  connection  with  the  religious  life 
of  America  and  its  exposition  of  the  liturgy  does  credit  to  him 
as  a  churchman;  nor  was  it  unsound  if  we  approve  his  plan 
of  strengthening  the  spiritual  bonds  between  England  and 
America;  still  it  smacked  a  little  of  cult,  and  led  to  a  tam- 
pering with  Wordsworth's  greatest  structure.  He  wrote  to 
Wordsworth : 

'There  is  a  subject  which  from  time  to  time  has  occurred 
to  my  mind — and  which  I  have  felt  a  strong  desire  to  introduce 
to  your  consideration,  though  restrained,  let  me  assure  you, 
by  no  little  diffidence  about  it.  .  .  .  Without  further  preface, 
and  more  than  you  perhaps  will  think  the  subject  calls  for, 
let  me  say  that  it  is  the  suggestion  of  an  historical  occasion 
closely  connected  with  your  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  and  one 
which  I  hope  may  strike  you,  when  it  is  presented  to  your 
reflections,  as  worthy  a  place  in  the  series — the  consecration 
of  the  American  Bishops,  and  the  consequent  transmission  of 
the  spiritual  functions  of  the  Church  in  England  to  the 
daughter  Church  on  this  Western  Continent.  It  has  often 
struck  me  that  there  was  something  of  a  moral  sublimity  in 
the  event,  considering  the  precise  period  when  it  took  place 
in  1787,  so  soon  after  all  the  animosity  of  the  revolution 
which  separated  the  colonies  from  Great  Britain,  and  yet  so 
admirable  a  spirit  prevailing  on  both  sides,  with  the  ecclesi- 
astical power  that  was  giving — and  that  which  was  receiving. 
One  of  the  candidates  for  consecration  (Bp.  W.)  had  been 
chaplain  to  the  revolutionary  Congress,  but  nothing  could  be 
truer,  better  reconciled  with  his  sound  American  policy,  than 
his  deep  and  reverential  affection  for  old  England.  He  kept 
it  alive  to  the  end  of  a  life  of  nearly  90  years.  Pray,  my  dear 
sir,  have  the  goodness  to  give  this  subject  ...  a  place  in 
your  thoughts,  and  pardon  the  liberty  I  have  taken  in  pre- 
senting it  to  you.  The  ecclesiastical  sympathy  of  the  countries 
is  an  excellent  peace  maker  and  peace  keeper  and  I  am  sure 
no  one  would  be  more  ready  than  you  to  contribute  to  the 
feeling.  I  did  not  well  know  in  what  way  to  put  you  in 
possession  of  the  circumstances  attending  the  consecration  of 
the  American  Bishops.  I  hardly  thought  it  worth  while  to 
send  you  a  copy  of  the  Biography  of  Bishop  White,  but  in  its 
stead  have  sent  a  reviewal  I  wrote  of  it  a  year  or  two  since. 


52  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

which  notices  some  of  the  incidents.     I  have  sent  it  to  my 
correspondent  in  London.'  ^ 

Wordsworth  entertained  the  plan  kindly,  and,  as  appears 
from  Reed's  second  letter,  sent  word  that  'Bishop  Doane  had 
chanced  to  make  the  same  suggestion.'  ^  Moreover,  Reed  was 
not  content  to  let  the  matter  rest.  He  urged  his  project  in 
even  greater  detail: 

'Surely  no  measure  in  the  history  of  the  Church  in  England 
has  been  calculated  to  spread  her  principles  over  a  larger 
section  of  Christendom.  The  Church  in  this  country  has 
gone  on  in  perfect  harmony  with  our  popular  systems  of 
government,  and  will  I  believe  prove  one  of  the  indirect  means 
of  checking  any  tendency  of  these  systems  to  irregularity,  for 
it  came  along  with  a  spirit  of  discipline.  Besides  every  day 
is  showing  the  sympathy  it  creates  between  the  two  nations, 
when  in  the  lower  region  of  more  worldly  concerns,  diplomacy, 
and  commerce,  and  money,  there  may  be,  most  unhappily, 
arising  frequent  occasions  of  dissatisfaction  and  estrangement. 
These  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  I  am  so  anxious  for  you 
not  to  dismiss  the  subject  from  your  thoughts.  In  most 
perfect  sincerity  I  assure  you  that  fourteen  lines  upon  it  from 
your  pen  may  exert  an  influence  more  wide  and  lasting  than 
you  can  well  realize  or  than  I  can  calculate.  If  there  is  one 
thing  more  gratifying  than  another  to  every  one  to  whom 
your  poetry  is  dear,  it  is  to  observe  the  constant  indications 
of  its  influence  upon  minds  of  highly  reflective  power,  and  also 
on  those  of  different  constitution.'^ 

The  sonnets  arrived  in  due  time.  Reed  acknowledged  his 
high  'gratification'  and  expressed  Mrs.  Reed's  thanks  'for  the 
felicitous  manner  in  which  you  have  introduced  the  name  and 
character  of  her  revered  grandfather.  Bishop  White.  The 
manner  in  which  you  have  connected  the  Puritans  with  the 
subject  was  indeed  unexpected,  but  I  have  nothing  in  my 
churchmanship  to  prevent  a  cordial  sympathy  with  the  tribute 
you  have  paid  to  them.'  ^ 

1  MS.  letter  of  April  28,  1841. 

2  MS.  letter  of  November  29,  1841. 
'  MS.  letter  of  November  29,  1841. 
*  MS.  letter  of  March  30,  1842. 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  53 

The  three  sonnets  composing  this  group,  Aspects  of  Christi- 
anity in  America,  3.13,  3-i4»  and  3.15,  were  first  published  in 
the  vokime  of  1842,  Poems,  Chiefly  of  Early  and  Late  Years. 

h 

Meanwhile  the  stereotyped  edition  of  1836-7  had  been 
slightly  revised,  and  was  reissued  in  1840;  from  the  plates  of 
1840  reprints  w^ere  made  in  1841,  1842,  and  1843.  The 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  are  scarcely  concerned  in  this  remodeling. 

J 

The  one-volume  edition  of  1845,  however,  has  three  im- 
portant structural  changes: 

(i)  The  expansion  of  the  apology  for  the  mediaeval  Church 
at  the  beginning  of  Part  2. 

(2)  The  rearrangement  of  the  order  at  the  beginning  of 
Part  3,  with  the  insertion  of  Aspects  of  Christianity  in  America. 

(3)  The  disproportionate  increase  in  the  group  of  sonnets 
on  services  of  the  liturgy. 

In  all,  14  sonnets  were  added:  4  to  Part  2, and  10 to  Part  3. 
The  final  proportion,  part  to  part,  stood  39,  46,  47. 

(I) 

Of  these  changes,  the  expansion  of  the  group  at  the  beginning 
of  Part  2  seems  the  most  defensible.  First,  because  the  plot 
was  strongest  in  Part  2,  and  could  there  most  safely  be  relaxed. 
Secondly,  the  transition  from  Part  i  to  Part  2  had  previously 
been  abrupt,  and  needed  the  help  of  a  comprehensive  survey 
such  as  2 . 1  and  2 .2  were  now  able  to  give.  Thirdly,  the  change 
was  in  the  interest  of  poise:  toleration  was  emphasized  in  the 
theme,  and  a  heightening  by  contrast  gained  for  the  treat- 
ment of  the  theme. 

Wordsworth's  letter  to  Reed,  September  4,  1842,  has  been 
discussed.  Two  sonnets  were  added  to  Part  2  'in  order  to  do 
more  justice  to  the  Papal  Church  for  the  services  which  she 


54  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

did  actually  render  to  Christianity  and  humanity  in  the 
middle  ages.' ^  Here,  then,  is  one  fruition  of  the  'unextin- 
guishable  Spirit'  of  St.  Bees.  Reason  for  believing  that  these 
two  sonnets  were  2.2  and  2.9  has  been  given  (pp.  29-30);  if 
that  evidence  be  valid,  the  other  two,  2.1  and  2.10,  whose 
non-existence  on  September  4,  1842,  was  implied,  must  have 
been  conceived  later.  They  are  more  general  than  2.2  and 
2.9,  and  they  contain  a  figure  applicable  to  the  series  as  a  whole. 

(2) 

In  Part  3  Walton's  Book  of  Lives  was  restored  to  its  place 
after  Latitudinarianism,  Sacheverel  was  placed  before  'Down  a 
swift  Stream' — an  improvement,  since  the  latter  seemed  a 
natural  .cadence  for  the  history  of  the  English  Church,  and 
what  now  became  its  final  line,  'How  widely  spread  the  inter- 
ests of  our  theme,'  led  on  to  a  quieter  strain  of  Part  3.  At 
this  point,  then,  Wordsworth  inserted  the  three  sonnets  on 
Aspects  of  Christianity  in  America.  It  cannot  be  denied  that 
the  juncture  was  deftly  made,  nor  that  the  subject  had  been 
handled  far  more  ably  than  Reed  could  foresee  or  fully  appre- 
ciate. For,  considerations  of  structure  aside,  Wordsworth's 
experience  in  tolerant  and  judicious  appraisal  of  ecclesiastical 
events  rightly  prompted  him,  if  he  would  be  just  to  the 
religious  history  of  America,  to  retail  the  Pilgrim  adventure 
before  he  celebrated  the  episcopal  return. 

In  a  letter  of  April  28, 1842,  Reed  made  an  acknowledgment 
of  Wordsworth's  greater  wisdom: 

'Let  me  here  return  to  some  subjects  I  could  only  allude  to 
in  a  very  hurried  postscript  to  my  last.  And — foremost  of 
these — a  more  deliberately  expressed  thankfulness  is  due  for 
the  sonnets  on  the  Church  in  America.  They  indeed  far 
transcend  the  simple  suggestion  I  had  ventured  to  make.  I 
scarcely  deemed  myself  justified  in  proposing  more  than  the 
introduction  into  the  Ecclesiastical  Series  of  the  transmission 
of  Episcopacy  to  America  as  an  event  in  the  history  of  the 
Church  in  England ;  and  therefore,  so  far  as  I  allowed  myself 

^  See  the  facsimile  facing  p.  32. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  55 

« 

to  anticipate  your  mode  of  treating  the  subject  I  thought  it 
not  improbable  that  your  imagination  would  incorporate  the 
theme  suggested  into  the  series  of  poems  by  presenting  the 
scene  in  Lambeth  palace — the  consecration  of  the  American 
Bishops,  so  soon  after  the  revolutionary  war — in  the  graphic 
and  meditative  form  in  which  in  many  of  the  sonnets  you 
have  there  recorded  events  in  British  Church  history.  But, 
finely  as  I  can  conceive  the  story  might  have  been  told  by 
you  taking  this  view  of  it,  assuredly  the  subject  has  a  grander 
scope  by  the  connection  you  give  to  it  with  the  Pilgrim  settlers. 
I  cannot  help  saying  to  you,  what  I  could  certainly  say  more 
unreservedly  were  I  commenting  on  these  poems  to  any  one 
else,  that  I  have  been  much  impressed  with  the  display  of 
imagination,  in  one  of  its  important  modes  of  action,  in  the 
unity  that  is  given  in  these  poems  to  the  events  (running 
through  more  than  a  century  and  a  half)  from  the  migration 
of  the  Puritans  to  the  Western  world,  down  to  the  return  of 
the  American  divines  seeking  consecration  from  the  Church 
of  England.  The  train  of  reflection,  impressive  to  any  re- 
flecting reader,  is  apposite  especially  to  my  countrymen,  too 
many  of  whom  have  been  apt  to  trust  to  systems  of  worship 
neither  raised  nor  limited  save  by  self  will.' 

Could  the  memorials  of  this  'train  of  reflection,'  however, 
have  remained  a  group  apart,  w^ould  their  service  not  have 
been  as  valuable?  And  would  not  the  unity  of  the  series  have 
been  better  preserved?  Even  so,  granted  that  the  structure 
could  support  the  added  burden,  w^as  the  consecration  of 
American  bishops  at  Lambeth  not  too  recent  an  event  to  take 
its  place  with  propriety  in  a  narrative  whose  success  depended 
largely  on  a  perspective  of  years?  This  last  question  may 
also  be  asked  of  Emigrant  French  Clergy,  although  here  as 
with  'Coldly  w^e  spake,'  it  is  the  animus  of  Wordsworth 
against  France  which  has  unfortunately  outweighed  discretion. 

(3) 
Reed,  who  had  wished  to  make  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets 
an  instrument  for  the  spread  of  Episcopacy  in  America,  was 
still  not  content  with  the  series.  On  April  28,  1842,  after  a 
few  words  of  gratification  at  his  share  in  suggesting  the 
previous  addition,  he  wrote  to  Wordsworth: 


56  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

'I  trust  you  will  not  think  3'our  kindness  in  this  matter  is 
made  a  pretext  for  me  to  abuse  it,  if  I  suffered  myself  to  be 
tempted  to  make  another  suggestion  respecting  the  Ecclesi- 
astical Sonnets,  the  completeness  of  which,  considering  the 
sacred  association  of  the  whole  series,  is  especially  to  be 
desired.  This  consideration  will,  I  hope,  weigh  with  you  as 
some  excuse  for  my  venturing  to  inquire  whether  among  the 
sonnets  in  the  latter  part  of  the  series  on  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies of  the  Church — Baptism,  Catechizing,  and  those  (very 
favorite  ones)  on  Confirmation,  there  should  not  be  introduced 
two  more,  on  the  solemnization  of  Matrimony,  and  the  other 
on  the  Burial  Service.  Are  not  these  (the  former  in  its 
introductory  address  and  the  latter  throughout)  among  the 
most  excellent  of  the  liturgical  ceremonies,  and  do  they  not — 
more  perhaps  than  any  other — appeal  to  that  common  human- 
heartedness,  which  is  the  very  element  in  which  your  poetry 
moves  and  has  its  being?  That  inimitable  burial  service — 
at  once  so  mournful  and  so  consolatory — and  so  often  solem- 
nized to  us  all  as  to  seem  the  paramount  occasional  service  of 
the  Church.  I  am  confident  that  your  imagination  could  not 
fail  to  touch  both  with  tenderness  and  wisdom  the  feelings 
which  either  are  or  ought  to  be  associated  with  that  rite. 
I  well  remember  the  impression  made  on  me  by  two  lines  in 
one  of  your  other  poems,  merely  alluding  however  in  a  different 
connection  and  for  a  different  purpose  to  one  of  the  incidents 
of  the  burial  service — the  lines  in  the  stanzas  On  the  Power 
of  Sound, 

The  little  sprinkling  of  cold  earth  [that  fell] 
Echoed  from  the  coffin  lid. 

For  not  a  little  v/hile  the  lines  fairly  haunted  me.  But  I  am 
dwelling  too  long — much  too  long  on  this  subject,  and  probably 
you  had  some  good  reason  for  the  omission,  in  which  case  all 
this  is  impertinence.' 

Any  exhaustive  'appeal  to  common  human-heartedness' 
would  in  1822  have  been  apt  to  arouse  Wordsworth's  sus- 
picions, for  Eccl.  Son.  1.8,  1.23,  1.26,  2.3,  2.5,  2.20,  2.36,  2.37, 
were  so  many  attempts  either  to  transcend  common  human- 
heartedness  or  to  define  its  perils.  The  warning  in  1.20  should 
not  have  been  forgotten:  'The  way  is  smooth  for  Power  that 
travels  with  the  human  heart.  .  .  .  Ye  holy  Men,  so  earnest 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  57 

in  your  care,  of  your  own  mighty  instruments  beware! '  More 
probably  Wordsworth's  own  increasing  faith  in  social  rather 
than  individual  channels  of  religious  feeling  inclined  him  to 
this  further  versification  'of  offices  dispensing  heavenly  grace' 
(2.6.14). 

Suffice  it  to  say  that  7  sonnets  based  on  the  liturgy  were 
composed  (see  pp.  31-3),  and  in  1845  inserted  as  3.16,  3.26, 
3.27,  3.28,  3.29,  3.30,  and  3.31;  respectively:  'Bishops  and 
Priests,'  The  Marriage  Ceremony,  Thanksgiving  after  Child- 
birth, Visitation  of  the  Sick,  The  Commination  Service,  Forms 
0}  Prayer  at  Sea,  and  Funeral  Service.  The  beginning  of  3.32 
was  altered  to  accord  with  the  sonnets  which  preceded  it; 
3.25.9,  to  accord  with  the  sonnets  which  followed. 

By  1845  the  text  had  been  slightly  altered  from  the  reading 
of  the  stereotyped  edition  of  1837 ;  the  changes  follow  the  trend 
of  Wordsworth's  thought:  'memorial  Sacrament'  (3-25-3)  be- 
came 'mysterious  Sacrament.'  The  substitution  of  'Furl  w^e 
the  sails,  and  pass  with  tardy  oars, '  for  '  Nor  can  Imagination 
quit  the  shores'  (2.8.1),  was  a  decided  gain,  and  could  be 
urged  as  proof  that  Wordsworth  still  wrote  for  the  ear  and 
eye.     In  its  movement,  it  is  one  of  the  best  lines  in  the  series. 

Among  the  minor  improvements  are  these:  'At  length  come 
those  Waldensian  bands'  (2.14.6)  became  'Then  followed  the 
Waldensian  bands';  'Blest  be  the  Church'  (3.20.1)  became 
'Dear  be  the  Church';  'sadness  that'  (3.2.2)  became  'sadness 
which.' 

The  last  three  lines  of  Elizabeth  (2.38. 12-14)  were  entirely 
changed.  The  'glorious  light'  has  yielded  to  a  'foul  con- 
straint,' presumably  Elizabeth's  intolerant  treatment  of  Mary 
Stuart.  This  is  quite  in  keeping  with  Wordsworth's  judg- 
ment of  events  at  every  turn.  His  consistency  appeared  also 
in  his  reluctance  to  write  'Church  reformed'  for  'new-born 
Church'  (2.40.4);  he  felt  that  'if  taken  in  its  Hteral  sense,  as 
a  transformation,  it  is  very  objectionable.'  ^  He  yielded  the 
point,  however,  to  readers  who  were  dissatisfied  with  the  line 
as  it  stood. 

^  Memoirs  2.1 15. 


58  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

ky  /,  m 

In  the  reprint  of  1846,  taken  from  the  stereotypes  of  1836-7 
revised  to  date,  the  notation  of  Parts  2  and  3  was  sHghtly 
disturbed  by  the  intrusion  of  the  sonnets  added  to  the  series 
in  1842  and  1845.  This  formal  difficulty  was  remedied  in  the 
edition  of  1850.  But  the  change  of  'his'  to  'its'  (1.1.2)  in  the 
edition  of  1850  cannot  go  undebated.  The  repetition  of  'his' 
in  two  successive  lines  has,  it  is  true,  been  avoided,  but  the  use 
of  both  masculine  and  neuter  pronouns  with  the  image  of  Dud- 
don  confuses  the  idea;  so  much  so  that  Mr.  Carter  for  the 
edition  of  1857  restored  the  reading  of  1 822-1 845, 

III 

When  the  variant  readings  are  thus  studied  in  their  relation 
one  to  the  other,  and  when  the  sequence  of  changes  in  the 
text  and  about  the  text  becomes  clear,  the  way  is  open  for  a 
few  valuable  deductions. 

First.     Wordsworth  was  above  all  the  apostle  of  tolerance 
and  moderation. 
^    Secondly.     Religion  to  him  was  a  communal  responsibility. 
Institutions  were  therefore  its  proper  channels. 

Thirdly.  Polity  and  discipline,  or — to  use  the  word  under 
which  he  included  both — doctrine,  must  be  supplemented  by 
communion. 

Fourthly.  Although  spiritual  integrity  should  not  be  sacri- 
ficed, any  appeal  to  sensibility  was  properly  subordinate  to 
logical  truth  and  structural  beauty. 

Fifthly.  A  poem  which  celebrated  the  ideal  beauty  of 
religion,  as  it  could  be  traced  in  the. history  of  an  institution, 
might  well  rest  its  artistic  success  upon  the  fine  proportion  of 
its  design,  and  upon  the  simplicity,  even  the  severity,  of 
its  workmanship. 


Interior  of  King's  College  Cliapel,  Cambridge. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  59 


Inside  of  King's  College  Chapel,  Cambridge 

Tax  not  the  royal  Saint  with  vain  expense, 

With  ill-matched  aims  the  Architect  who  planned — 

Albeit  labouring  for  a  scanty  band 

Of  white-robed  Scholars  only — this  immense 

And  glorious  Work  of  fine  intelligence ! 

Give  all  thou  canst ;  high  Heaven  rejects  the  lore 

Of  nicely-calculated  less  or  more; 

So  deemed  the  man  who  fashioned  for  the  sense 

These  lofty  pillars,  spread  that  branching  roof 

Self-poised,  and  scooped  into  ten  thousand  cells. 

Where  light  and  shade  repose,  where  music  dwells 

Lingering — and  wandering  on  as  loth  to  die; 

Like  thoughts  whose  very  sweetness  yieldeth  proof 

That  they  were  born  for  immortality. 


60  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

STRUCTURE 

Analysis  of  Narrative  and  Structure 

Part  I     From  the  Introduction  of  Christianity  into  Britain  to 
the  Consummation  of  the  Papal  Dominion. 

a     Britain  before  Augustine: 

Celtic  Britain  (1-5);  Roman  Britain  (6-9);  Britons 
vs.  Saxons  (10-12). 

b     From  Augustine  to  Alfred : 

Introduction  of  Christianity  (13-17);  establish- 
ment of  Christianity  by  good  works  (18-20), 
contemplation  (21-23),  enterprise  (24-26). 

c     From   Alfred    to   the   consummation    of   the    papal 

dominion: 

Perils  at  home  from  Dane  and  monk  (27-30),  and 

Norman  (31-32) ;  perils  abroad  from  infidel  (33-35) 

and  pope  (36-39)- 

Part  2     To  the  Close  of  the  Troubles  in  the  Reign  of  Charles  I. 

a     Apology : 

Charity  for  the  Roman  see  (1-2) ;  the  services  of 
the  monastic  orders  (3-5);  religion  and  chivalry 
(6-8);   progress  and  decline  (9-10). 

b     Attempted  reform;   separation  from  Rome: 

Rebirth  of  the  true  Church  because  of  the  preser- 
vation of  the  pure  faith  (11-14)  and  the  spread  of 
sanctified  doctrine  (15-17);  abuses  of  (18-21)  and 
regrets  for  (22-25)  monasticism  and  Roman  Catho- 
licism; the  reformers  warned  (26-28)  and  exhorted 
(29-32). 

c     Unity  or  schism: 

Peril  from  Marian  idolatry  and  tyranny  (33-35), 
and  from  Protestant  intolerance  and  schism  (36- 
38);   faction  (39-42)  and  civil  war  (43-46). 
Part  3     From  the  Restoration  to  the  Present  Times. 

a     Preservation  of  the  true  Church : 

Paternal  and  patriotic  love  (1-2);    Circean  revels 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTM  61 

or  celestial  light  (3-5);  tyranny  or  conscience  (6- 
8) ;  casual  law  and  fierce  extremes,  or  ancient  virtue 
and  the  golden  mean  (9-12);  concord  and  charity 
moving  in  circles  with  the  return  of  the  American 
divines  to  Lambeth  (13-15)- 
b     Ecclesiastical  ceremony: 

Solemn  offices   (16-18);    the  liturgy   (19-31);  re- 
grets (32-33). 
c     Ecclesiastical  architecture: 

Types  of  the  spiritual  Church  in  truth  and  charity 
(34-37);  in  humble  altar  and  low  pile  (38-41); 
in  cathedral  and  college  chapel  (42-45) ;  the  eternal 
city  (46-47). 

Number  of  Sonnets  ^ 
In  1822    In  1827    In  1832   In  1835   In  1837   In  1842   In  1845  In  1850 
la         12  12  12  12  12  12  12  12 

lb         14  14  14  14  14  14  14  H 

ic         12  12  12  12  13  13  13  ^3 


38 

38 

38 

38 

39 

39 

39 

39 

2a 

5 

5 

5 

[6] 

6 

6 

10 

10 

2b 

19 

20 

20 

[22] 

22 

22 

22 

22 

2C 

12 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

36 

39 

39 

[42] 

42 

42 

46 

46 

3a 

9 

12 

12 

12 

12 

[15] 

15 

15 

3b 

6 

10 

II 

II 

II 

II 

18 

18 

3C 

13 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

14 

28  36  37  37  37  [40]  47  47 

Total  102  113  114         [117]         118         [121]  132  132 

An  analysis  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  shows  that  the 
division  of  the  series  as  a  whole,  and  of  each  main  part  of  the 
series,  is  tripartite,  and  that  the  middle  group  of  each  main 
part  includes  the  greatest  number  of  sonnets.  Hence  we 
might  expect  that  Part  2  of  the  series  would  also  be  the  domi- 
nant part;   but  this  is  not  so  after  1842.     On  the  other  hand, 

1  In  the  volumes  of  1835  and  1842  only  the  additions  to  the  series  were 
published.     The  totals  which  were  thereby  changed  are  bracketed. 


62  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

before  1845  the  middle  group  of  Part  3  was  not  the  domi- 
nant group. 

The  series  diminishes  from  part  to  part  in  1822;  but  be- 
ginning with  1827  there  is  a  gain  in  central  emphasis  for  the 
series  and  for  the  parts.  If  a  slight  overdevelopment  of 
Part  3  be  disregarded,  the  final  scheme  is  symmetrical  as 
well  as  tripartite.  Parts  i  and  2  have  kept  their  proportions 
throughout. 

Wordsworth  first  thought  of  his  narrative  as  a  holy  river. 
He  was  then  in  a  quandary  over  the  less  fluent  aspects  of  his 
theme,  the  apologies  for  instance,  and  the  liturgical  and 
architectural  groups.  Although  image  and  symbol  might  with 
fair  success  cover  the  disparity,  his  scheme  was  not  fully 
unified  until  1827,  when  he  added  'Down  a  swift  Stream' 
(3.12)  and  The  Point  at  Issue  (2.30).  The  result,  while 
reminiscent  of  Dante,  who  faced  the  same  problem,  is  far  from 
Dantesque.  Had  Wordsworth,  instead  of  tracing  his  holy 
river  to  an  eternal  city,  foreordained  one  as  part  of  the  other 
— in  the  manner  of  Ezekiel  and  St.  John  as  well  as  of  Dante, 
his  union  of  the  temporal  and  eternal  might  have  been  more 
complete.  And  his  attempt  to  combine  visio  and  epic  into  an 
apocalypse  of  fact  might  better  have  stood  the  architectural 
test  if  his  experience  with  liturgies  and  cathedrals  had  been 
as  long  as  it  was  appreciative. 

He  has,  however,  undeniably  made  himself  a  part  of  the 
tradition  of  Ezekiel,  Revelation,  and  the  Divina  Commedia. 
His  design  and  his  imagery  are  both  fluent  and  architectonic. 

The  living  Waters,  less  and  less  by  guilt 
Stained  and  polluted,  brighten  as  they  roll, 
Till  they  have  reached  the  eternal  City — built 
For  the  perfected  Spirits  of  the  just.^ 

I.  Narrative 

Further  study  of  the  analysis  given  above  brings  forth  the 
following  observations  or  inferences  in  regard  to  the  narrative: 
^  EccL  Son.  3.47.11-14. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  63 

First.  The  action  concerns  the  survival  of  the  pure  Church ; 
the  points  at  issue  are  faith,  freedom,  and  unity. 

Secondly.  The  pure  Church  is  subject  to  three  perils: 
infidelity,  tyranny,  and  schism.  And  hence  there  is  a  triple 
theme. 

Thirdly.  The  action  is  simple,  double,  triple  in  sequence. 
The  pure  Church  struggles  with  the  infidel  or  pagan  idolater — 
Briton,  Saxon,  Dane,  or  Turk;  with  the  papal  tyrant  or  royal 
tyrant,  but  no  less  with  infidel  and  idolater;  and  with  the 
dissenter,  but  no  less  with  the  infidel  and  the  idolater,  and 
with  the  tyrant. 

Fourthly.  The  agents  are  Paulinus,  Alfred,  Canute,  Richard  I 
in  Part  i;  Wyclif,  Edward  VI,  Cranmer,  Elizabeth,  Laud,  in 
Part  2;  Charles  II,  William  III,  and  Sacheverell,  in  Part  3. 
This  bears  out  the  analysis  just  given.  Paulinus  was  a 
pioneer  against  idolatry,  Alfred  defended  Christian  Eng- 
land   from    the    pagan    sway,    in    the    person    of    Canute, 

Sternest  clime 
And  rudest  age  are  subject  to  the  thrill 
Of  heaven-descended  Piety  and  Song, 

and  Richard  I  represented  England  against  the  infidels. 
Wyclif  was  the  opponent  of  papal  and  monastic  tyranny, 
Cranmer  was  the  victim  of  an  idolatrous  reign,  Elizabeth 
would  have  been  a  queen  as  merciful  as  prudent  had  she  not 
executed  Mary  Stuart,  and  it  was  Laud's  sad  fate  *to  be 
crushed  betwixt  popery  and  schism.'^  Finally,  Charles  II, 
the  'Circean '  reveler,  and  Sacheverell,  the  partisan,  are  ranged 
for  contrast  on  either  side  of  William  III,  who  came  'to 
liberate,  not  defy,'  whose  'steadfast  eye'  the  'vacillating 
Bondman  of  the  Pope'  could  not  meet. 

Fifthly.  If  infidelity,  tyranny,  and  schism  are  the  recurring 
perils  of  the  pure  Church,  faith,  justice  and  peace,  mercy  and 
humility,  and  unity,  are  its  eternal  triumphs.  Evidence  of 
this  might  be  found  in  almost  every  sonnet  of  the  series. 

^  Dedication  by  Henry  Heylin  to  Cyprianus  Anglicanus. 


64  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Sixthly.  The  strands  of  the  triple  action  can  be  traced 
back  to  the  simple  action,  where  pagan  Persecution,  Tempta- 
tions to  servitude,  and  Dissensions  are  found  implicated 
with  'bold  faith'  (1.24.7),  Mow-bowed  necks'  (1.19.11),  and 
'sacred  converse'  (1.26. 14).  Likewise  these  strands  of  the 
triple  action  can  be  traced  through  the  double  action,  where 
'Venus'  and  'Bacchus'  (2.20),  'Pride'  (2. 18. 14),  and  'civil 
slaughter'  (2.16.9)  on  the  one  hand,  and  more  fortunately  on 
the  other,  'Mercy'  (2.4.8),  meekness  and  innocence  (2.31  and 
2.32),  and  'Unity'  (2.9.2,  5)  have  both  a  retrospective  and  a 
prophetic  function. 

Seventhly.  Not  only  in  the  narrative,  but  also  in  the 
liturgical  and  architectural  groups,  filaments  of  idea  lead  back 
to  the  early  stages  of  the  series,  where  already  exist  'meek 
doctrines'  (1.3.8),  and  'rites  that  console  the  Spirit'  (1.20.6), 
and  'Christian  monuments'  (1.12.8),  'quiet  Fortresses'  (1.24. 
3),  'sacred  Structures'  (1.24.8).  And  in  the  second  part,  too, 
occur  'offices  dispensing  heavenly  grace'  (2.6.14),  ^.nd  'holy 
spires'  (2.3.12)  to  point  the  way  to  the  'eternal  City.' 

Eighthly.  In  the  conquest  of  infidelity,  tyranny,  and  schism, 
and  in  the  achievement  of  faith,  freedom,  and  unity,  the  wise 
man  seeks 

Firmly  between  the  two  extremes  to  steer. ^ 

2.  Structure 

It  needs  but  a  glance  at  the  engraving  of  the  interior  of 
King's  College  Chapel,  or  the  recollection  of  certain  funda- 
mental passages  in  the  Description  of  the  Scenery  of  the  English 
Lakes,  to  indicate  the  structural  models  of  this  'immense  and 
glorious  work  of  fine  intelligence.'  We  may  adopt  the  image 
of  'lofty  pillars,  .  .  .  branching  roof  self-poised,'  or  we  may 
think  of  the  mountains  of  Westmoreland: 

'Their  forms  are  endlessly  diversified,  sweeping  easily  or 
boldly  in  simple  majesty,  abrupt  and  precipitous,  or  soft  and 

^  Eccl.  Son.  2.40.1 1. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  65 

elegant.  In  magnitude  and  grandeur  they  are  individually 
inferior  to  the  most  celebrated  of  those  in  some  other  parts 
of  this  island;  but  in  the  combinations  which  they  make, 
towering  above  each  other,  or  lifting  themselves  in  ridges  like 
the  waves  of  a  tumultuous  sea,  and  in  the  beauty  and  variety 
of  their  surfaces  and  colors,  they  are  surpassed  by  none. '  ^ 

Either  image  is  appropriate,  for  Wordsworth  has  used  both  in 
the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.  Nor  is  there  any  doubt  that  as  an 
artist  he  was  conscious  of  his  models.  Structures  'where 
music  dwells  lingering — and  wandering  on  as  loth  to  die,' 
and  that  ' superficies  of  the  Earth '^  whose  'primitive  confor- 
mation'- determined  the  course  of  the  rivers  he  had  loved  in 
boyhood,  were  not  forgotten  as  guides  when  he  was  to  trace 
the  holy  river  to  the  eternal  city. 

Of  his  'heights  of  Time,'  too,  it  may  be  said: 

'After  a  certain  point  of  elevation  .  .  .  the  sense  of  sub- 
limity depends  more  upon  form  and  relation  of  objects  to  each 
other  than  upon  their  actual  magnitude.'  ^ 

In  his  artistic  procedure  he  follows  a  natural  pattern : 

'Level  areas  open  upon  the  traveler  in  succession,  divided 
from  each  other  sometimes  by  a  mutual  approximation  of  the 
hills,  leaving  only  passage  for  a  river,  sometimes  by  corre- 
sponding windings,  without  such  approximation;  and  sorne- 
times  by  a  bold  advance  of  oae  mountain  towards  that  which 
is  opposite  it.'  ^ 

Therefore  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  have  'sublimity,'  which  is 
the  result  of  'first  great  dealings,'  and  'beauty,'  'a  multiplicity 
of  symmetrical  parts  uniting  in  a  consistent  whole.'  ^ 

For  convenience  in  reading,  the  main  features  of  the  struc- 
ture will  be  given  part  by  part. 

^  Prose  Works  2.26-7. 

^  Prose  Works  2.33,  30. 

^  Prose  Works  2.92. 

*  Prose  Works  2.30.  • 

6  Prose  Works  2.33-4. 

6 


66  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Part  I  a 

First  we  have  a  triad  of  frustrate  attempts:  the  poet  seeks, 
but  seeking,  is  lost;  Rome  comes,  but  goes  to  return  not; 
the  Britons  rise,  but  they,  too,  are  lost. 

There  is  an  opposition  of  values  (Trotorrys)  as  well  as  of 
events  (Trpa^ts):  transports  and  meek  doctrines;  that  which 
feeds  and  cheers  and  that  which  enervates  and  divides; 
courage  and  despair. 

Of  the  triple  theme,  danger  from  paganism  is  dominant. 

Part  I  h 

The  cadence  here  is  a  hopeful  one;  the  action  is  definitely 
advanced.  Except  for  the  slight  retardation  due  to  apology 
and  reproof,  we  find  a  triumphant  sweep  from  Gregory, 
Augustine,  and  Paulinus  to  Alfred;  'glad  hallelujahs'  result 
in  'prosperous  enterprise,  justice,  and  peace.'  The  opposition 
of  values  in  Part  i  a  becomes  in  Part  i  b  a  perfect  balance. 
'Good  works  mingle  with  the  visions.'  And  Alfred's  'sacred 
converse'  widens  the  scope  of  the  design. 

Part  I  c 

Following  the  widened  scope  of  Part  i  b  both  events  and 
values  now  are  extended  throughout  universal  Christendom. 
The  themes  of  peril  from  infidels  and  schism  recur  with 
emphasis;  the  theme  of  peril  from  Roman  tyranny  is  again 
pre-eminent.  Although  mere  events  advance  successfully 
from  the  line  of  Alfred  and  Canute  to  Richard,  this  specious 
gain  is  counterbalanced  by  an  insidious  perversion  of  spiritual 
power.  'Heaven-descended  Piety  and  Song'  become  an  im- 
agination which  hears  'God  willeth  it!'  in  approval  of  the 
deeds  of  men ;  this  imagination  leads  enthusiasts  into  distress, 
and  subjects  an  emperor  to  a  pope.  Thus  the  'visions'  of 
Part  I  b  grow  into  a  personification  of  'the  might  of  spiritual 
sway'  and  'a  ghosth^  domination  unconfincd';  whereas  the 
'good  works'  of  Part  ib  end  in  thraldom,  disregard  for  old 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  67 

laws,  the  derangement  of  ancient  customs,  and  the  upheaval 
of  all  Christendom.  Wordsworth's  vivid  phrase  for  the  con- 
centration in  Part  I  c  of  the  values  which  were  opposed  in 
Part  I  a  and  balanced  in  Part  i  b  is  as  follows: 

Through  earth  and  heaven  to  bind  and  to  unbind.^ 

Part  2  a 

With  the  scope  thus  extended,  the  themes  thus  emphasized, 
and  the  values  thus  concentrated,  the  poet  makes  ready  for 
his  greatest  structural  synthesis.  Power  and  Unity,  even 
though  they  be  Papal  Power  and  Papal  Unity,  are  reasserted 
as  the  ecclesiastical  ideal.  Acknowledgment  is  made  of  the 
good  works  and  the  heavenly  offices  of  the  Roman  see.  The 
'  one  aim  diffused  through  all  the  regions  of  the  West '  seems 
to  indicate  a  single  confluence  in  Wordsworth's  holy  river. 
And  the  touch  of  assurance  which  could  be  traced  in  Part  i  b 
is  present  in  these  lines  of  Part  2  a: 

All  promises  vouchsafed  by  Heaven  will  shine 

In  light  confirmed  while  years  their  course  shall  run, 

Confirmed  alike  in  progress  and  decline. ^ 

Part  2  h 

Following  upon  so  calm  and  just  a  restatement  of  the 
elements  of  the  structural  design,  the  opposition  of  the  agents 
of  pure  faith  and  the  agents  of  degenerate  works  becomes 
apparent.  In  this  opposition  the  central  counterpoise  is  that 
between  selfishness  and  unselfishness,  or  'high  with  low — 
celestial  with  terrene.'  It  has,  as  buttresses  or  tributaries,  on 
the  one  side  an  early  counterpoise  between  pure  faith  and 
pompous  rite,  exemplified  in  the  Vaudois,  the  Waldenses,  and 
Wyclif,  and  on  the  other  a  later  counterpoise  between  '  trump- 
ery' and  things  not  seen,  exemplified  in  the  Reformation  of 
the  Church  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  These  three 
buttresses,  of  which  the  outer  ones  are  narrative,  and  the 

^  Eccl.  Son.  1.39,8. 

^  Eccl.  So7i.  2. 10. 12-14. 


68  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

central  one  descriptive,  are  bound  together  by  two  others 
which  include  them  only  in  part:  the  counterpoise  between 
abuse  and  justice,  and  that  between  the  'airy  bonds'  ot 
Papacy  and  the  'mastery'  of  the  Crown.  The  cadence  of 
Part  2  b,  however,  is  a  hopeful  one  for  universal  Christendom. 
As  analysts  we  remark  the  skill  with  which  Wordsworth 
has  avoided  trite  distinctions  of  political  and  ecclesiastical 
history,  and  has  stressed  the  fundamental  opposition  of  selfish- 
ness and  unselfishness  in  this  his  central  structure — a  structure 
which  is  thus  not  less  ethical  than  human  nature.  Nor  should 
we  fail  to  notice  that  Part  2  b  contains  The  Point  at  Issue. 

Part  2  c 

But  the  hope  for  universal  Christendom  which  always 
results  when  the  elements  of  the  structure  come  to  an  even 
balance  or  a  just  proportion  is  overturned  by  the  recurrence 
of  those  themes  which  have  maintained  their  insidious  course. 
These  are  the  perils  of  servitude  to  Rome,  of  'Gods  of  wood 
and  stone'  (here  the  Spanish  Gods),  of  schism.  In  Part  2  c 
Elizabeth  and  James  save  and  are  saved  from  Marian  idolatry 
and  Jesuit  practices,  it  is  true;  but  from  the  fair  designs  of 
'holy  and  heavenly  spirits'  who  would  keep  the  balance  and 
proportion,  the  action  is  wrenched  into  a  'terrible  excess 
of  headstrong  will.'  This,  of  course,  the  structure  may  only 
suggest ;  it  represents  Laud  as  the  victim.  The  analysis  shows 
a  quadruple  and  double  grouping  for  Part  2  c,  reminiscent  of 
the  strong  opposition  in  Part  i  a.  That  which  emerges  'pure, 
and  seemingly  more  bright,'  the  Elizabethan  moon,  rides 
finally  in  'gentle  skies'  which  vainly  reprove  the  'conspicuous 
torment'  of  the  flood.  Hopes  become  a  wilderness,  blessings 
are  cursed,  glory  is  turned  to  shame. 

Part  J  a 

From  the  turmoil  which  the  action  indicates  and  the  struc- 
ture firmly  restrains,  for  the  third  lime  comes  a  hopeful  cadence. 
As  for  events,  James  II,  'the  Bondman  of  the  Pope,'  opposes, 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  69 

and  is  replaced  by,  William  III.  As  for  themes,  the  peril  of 
idolatry  disappears  with  this  same  'conqueror  beloved';  the 
peril  of  Roman  tyranny  disappears  with  him  as  it  has  faded 
with  the  acquittal  of  the  Bishops;  the  peril  of  schism  is  for- 
gotten when  the  American  divines  return  for  their  consecration 
at  Lambeth.  As  for  values,  the  Circean  revels  of  Charles  II 
are  contrasted  with  and  outweighed  by  the  'celestial  light' 
of  Milton;  the  brutality  toward  the  Scottish  Covenanters  is 
atoned  for  by  the  acquittal  of  the  Bishops;  the  'eternal  roll 
of  praise'  contains  dissenter  and  churchman  alike.  ObHga- 
tions  of  civil  to  religious  liberty  bind  this  series  of  contrasts 
with  the  assertion  of  unity — 'What  came  from  heaven  to  heaven 
by  nature  clings.'  Moreover,  upon  this  series  of  contrasts 
rises  a  group,  triple  and  tripartite,  which  reaffirms  the  triumph 
of  soul  over  sense.  The  world  is  outweighed.  Appropriately 
Wordsworth  asks,  'Had  mortal  action  e'er  a  nobler  scope?  '  ^ 

The  action  is  complete,  the  swift  stream  runs  but  a  lingering 
course,  the  everlasting  pile  is  ready  for  its  spires. 

One  of  these  spires  points  to  the  dependence  of  star  upon 
star  in  the  services  of  the  Church,  that  'zodiac'  of  the  ritual 
year;  the  other  rests  upon  actual  churchly  foundations  of  the 
imperishable  'home.' 

Part  3  h 

The  liturgical  group  has  an  introductory  triad  which  leads 
the  mind  from  Sacheverell  and  White  to  Bishops  and  Priests 
as  a  class;  thence  to  the  places  of  worship  in  their  kindred 
nature;  thence  to  the  pastoral  character.  Here  is  a  masterly 
transition.  The  liturgical  services  are  arranged  according  to 
the  ascent  and  decline  of  human  life.  In  conclusion  stand 
two  sonnets  (3.32,  33), 

Giving  to  Memory  help  when  she  would  weave 
A  crown  for  Hope!^ 

^  Eccl.  Son.  3.9.9. 
^  Ercl.  Son.  3.33.5-6. 


70  THE   ecclesiastical"  SONNETS 

Part  J  c 

Here  the  poet  has  erected  the  actual  counterpart  of  his 
eternal  city;  and  to  it  finally,  with  a  gloria  for  all  tabernacles, 
natural,  human,  and  divine,  comes  to  rest 

That  Stream  upon  whose  bosom  we  have  passed 
Floating  at  ease  while  nations  have  effaced 
Nations,  and  Death  has  gathered  to  his  fold 
Long  lines  of  mighty  Kings. ^ 

These  '  types  of  the  spiritual  Church '  are  most  felicitously 
addressed  in  terms  of  the  three  theological  virtues.  The  first 
four  sonnets  of  the  group,  with  passing  reference  to  monastic 
domes,  lead  on  to  'Charity'  and  'judgments  temperate*;  in 
the  second  quartette  the  'wished-for  Temples  rise, '  the  'Abode 
of  genuine  Faith';  and  next  come  the  'Monuments  of  love 
Divine'  which  typify  'by  reach  of  daring  art  Infinity's  em- 
brace.' As  a  climax,  and  as  a  final  instance  of  the  three-fold 
structure  of  the  series,  this  group  is  notable. 

But  the  'guardian  crest'  of  the  temple,  the  'silent  Cross, 
among  the  stars  shall  spread. ' 

Thus  does  Wordsworth  by  another  graceful  transition  return 
to  the  imagery  of  the  natural  world.  Ocean  and  Alpine  mount 
are  invoked : 

Earth  prompts — Heaven  urges;  let  us  seek  the  light. 
Studious  of  that  pure  intercourse  begun 
When  first  our  infant  brows  their  lustre  won; 
So,  like  the  Mountain,  may  we  grow  more  bright 
From  unimpeded  commerce  with  the  Sun, 
At  the  approach  of  all-involving  night. ^ 

Analysis  of  the  Imagery 

It  follows  from  what  has  just  been  said  that  the  structural 
design  and  the  decorative  imagery  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
series  very  nearly  concur.  Not  only  is  this  true  here,  but  at 
all  the  crises  and  cadences.     The  decoration,   however,   has 

1  Eccl.  Son.  3.47.6-9. 

2  Eccl.  Son.  3.46.9-14. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  71 

throughout  been  wisely  subordinated  to  the  structure,  and  must 
rather  be  sought  as  Dorothy  Wordsworth,  her  brother,  and 
Sir  Walter  Scott  sought  for  the  tracery  on  the  stones  of  Melrose 
Abbey.^ 

According  to  Aristotle,  v  oypis  \pvxoLyoiyLK6v}  The  spectacle 
wins  the  soul,  even  though  it  demand  least  skill.  What  ot/'ts  was 
to  tragedy  for  Aristotle,  decoration  may  be  considered  for  the 
epic.  And  the  natural  spectacle  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets 
is  something  more  than  natural;  if  not  strictly  allegorical,  it 
possesses  a  definite  but  intense  associative  power.  It  differs 
from  the  spectacle  of  Dante  as  the  gardens  of  Westmoreland 
differ  from  those  of  Italy;  but  although  it  is  seemingly  more 
casual  than  Dante's  rushes,  Lethe  and  Eunoe,  mount  of  pur- 
gatory, and  ten  heavens,  it  has  a  rigor  and  exactitude  akin  to 
those  of  the  greater  allegory;   witness  the  following  analysis: 

Earth,  mountains,  etc. 

Part  I 

(i)  Height?  of  lime;  (2)  savage  island  in  the  west;  (3) 
mystic  ring;  (4)  road  of  the  outcast;  (5)  Snowdon's  wilds, 
Brigantian  coves,  Sarum,  Western  Isles,  lona;  (6)  Alban's 
flowery  platform;  (7)  bespangled  plain,  reconstructed  fanes; 
(8)  temples  flashing;  (9)  enervate  land;  (10)  Cambria,  Plin- 
limmon;  (11)  hill  to  hill,  mountains,  dust,  field,  foss,  barrow, 
rampart;  (12)  indignant  hills;  (13)  sad  market;  (14)  uncon- 
scious shore;  (15)  royal  hall;  (16)  warm  abode;  (17)  dese- 
crated fane;  (19)  shrines;  (20)  smooth  way;  (21)  perennial 
bower;  {22)  dry  nook  in  the  living  rock;  (23)  flowery  mead, 
wild  coast;  (24)  quiet  fortresses;  (25)  barbarous  shores, 
general  mart;  (26)  Jerusalem,  Christian  India;  (27)  green 
plot  of  open  ground;  (30)  Ely,  suffering  earth;  (31)  hut  and 
palace;  (32)  wasted  fields,  sacred  earth;  (33)  Nazareth, 
Bethlehem,    Clermont,    hill    to    hill,    Nature's    hollow   arch; 

^  Journals  2.134. 
2  Poetics,  ch.  6. 


72  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

(34)  Aquitaine,  Spain,  Italia,  Bosphorus,  Greece,  precious 
tomb;  (35)  Cyprus,  Palestine;  (36)  realms  quake,  ditches  are 
graves ;  (37)  gross  materials  of  this  world ;  (38)  an  emperor's 
neck  leveled  with  earth ;   (39)  ancient  thrones  are  stuff. 

Part  2 

(2)  Spiritual  tower,  sheltering  bower;  (3)  sylvan  waste, 
fertile  lea;  (4)  earthbound  stone;  (5)  forbidding  den;  (6) 
embattled  hall;  (7)  river's  margin;  (8)  bright  regions,  earth's 
requiem;  (9)  one  aim  through  all  the  West;  (10)  blest  soil  of 
gospel  truth ;  (11)  the  banks  of  Rhone,  Nature's  craggy  throne ; 
(12)  subalpine  vales,  chasms;  (13)  mountain  caverns;  (14) 
from  dens  to  sea-girt  isle;  (15)  wilderness,  cultured  field, 
meadow-ground,  garden;  (16)  fields  that  rival  Cressy  and 
Poictiers;  (17)  bones  disinhumed  and  burned  to  ashes;  (18) 
the  way  to  Heaven;  (19)  cloistered  avarice;  (20)  arched  roofs 
abused;  (21)  mute  belfries,  unroofed  choirs;  (22)  hushed  green 
vales;  (23)  new  and  questionable  road;  (24)  mourning  ham- 
lets, penitential  desert;  (25)  Heaven's  blue  coast;  (26)  arch 
of  Christendom;  {2.'])  cave,  den,  Arabian  waste,  stalking 
pillars  of  fiery  sand;  (28)  ethereal  plain;  (29)  ploughman; 
(31)  clear  land  of  vision ;  (32)  clefts  of  woe ;  (33)  gods  of  wood 
and  stone;  (34)  chain  and  stake;  (36)  polemic  dust;  (37) 
broken  staves;  (38)  a  grateful  isle;  (39)  heaviest  soil,  trusty 
staff,  spicy  shores  of  Araby  the  blest;  (40)  right  courses;  (41) 
tottering  throne;  (42)  subterraneous  treason;  (43)  ruin  shed 
from  the  mountain;  (44)  wilderness;  (45)  prison,  the  en- 
sanguined chariot;   (46)  mercy  cast  off  to  the  mountains. 

Part  3 

(2)  The  prostrate  restored;  (4)  the  sole  temple  of  the 
inward  mind;  (6)  wild  coast;  (7)  Alpine  vale,  Scottish  moun- 
tain and  moor  and  street;  (8)  city  streets;  (10)  scaffold;  (11) 
pulpit;  (12)  living  landscapes,  dark  steeps;  (13)  sheltering 
nook;     (14)   wilds,   distant   shore;     (17)   fountains   in   sandy 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  73 

desert;  (19)  mountains  hoary;  (23)  hill  and  dale;  (31)  grave, 
where  is  thy  victory?  (32)  the  still  church-yard;  (33)  gay 
church;  (34)  rime  melted  on  hill  and  plain,  sublime  towers 
dropped;  (35)  monastic  domes  fallen;  (36)  sacred  roofs  are 
shattered,  fugitives  seek  the  British  strand;  (37)  the  deliverer 
sails  landward;  (38)  Egyptian  plain;  (39)  grateful  earth; 
(40)  low  pile,  Cross;  (41)  forest  glade,  dust  to  dust;  (42) 
sovereign  hill,  everlasting  piles;  (43)  lofty  pillars;  (45)  no 
perishable  home;  (46)  roseate  hues  on  Alpine  mount,  nether 
regions,  rugged  frame;   (47)  the  eternal  city. 

Clouds,  storms,  waters 

Part  I 

(i)  Source  of  a  Holy  river;  (2)  sacred  well,  fountain,  nascent 
stream,  precious  current;  (3)  Menai's  foam,  diluvian  truths; 
(4)  God  the  one  sole  fount;  (5)  the  growing  rill;  (6)  lightning; 
(7)  cessation  of  storm;  (8)  polar  ice;  (9)  Pictish  cloud;  (10) 
stormy  field;  (11)  tears  flow  like  fountains;  (12)  melancholy 
stream;  (13)  Tiber's  stream;  (14)  tempestuous  sea  of  igno- 
rance; (16)  wintry  tempest;  (17)  fresh  streams;  (22)  bustling 
brook,  translucent  pool;  (23)  beating  billows;  (24)  timely 
rains;  (25)  classic  lore  glides  on;  (27)  black  tempests,  dewy 
gloom;  (29)  clouds  of  Danish  invasion;  (30)  the  smooth  flood, 
the  barge;  (31)  Thames  to  Tyne;  (33)  profaneness  flows  from 
the  source  of  Christian  piety;  (34)  the  current  of  Turkish  arms; 
(35)  midland  brine;  (37)  ocean  roars  a  vain  appeal;  (39) 
papal  thunder. 

Part  2 

(2)  Papal  thunder;  (7)  turbid  stream;  (8)  furled  sails,  tardy 
oars;  (11)  Rhone;  (12)  brooding  mists,  eternal  snows;  (13) 
rivers,  marshes,  Po;  (14)  over  limitary  floods;  (15)  wondering 
seas;  (16)  storm  abated;   (17)  brook,  Avon,  Severn,  sea,  ocean; 

(22)  Iris'  cloudy  shrine,  watery  glories  on  the  stormy  brine; 

(23)  polar  ice   and  open   sea;   (25)   foam  on  central   ocean; 
{2^)    Tiber,  Ganges,  Nile,  spectral  lakes;    (28)  Limbo  lake; 


74  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

(32)  tears  of  man;  (33)  prayer  in  blind  channels;  (36)  showers 
of  blood,  veteran  thunders,  fulminations  new;  (38)  alien  storms, 
home-bred  ferments,  black  clouds;  (39)  buoyant  bark,  wave 
to  wave;  (40)  steering  between  extremes;  (41)  every  wave 
threatens  the  new-born  Church ;  (42)  thunder-shower  of  blood ; 
(43)  crown  of  snow,  fretting  waters,  mad  flood;   (44)  the  flood; 

(46)  Siloa's  brook,  the  chambers  of  the  deep. 

Part  3 

(i)  Sunny  mist;  (3)  gulf  of  bigotry;  (6)  tempests;  (8)  the 
busy  Thames ;  (9)  calm  undercurrent  from  sea  to  sea,  plough- 
ing storm;  (11)  quiet  flow  of  truths;  (12)  the  swift  stream 
slackens;  (15)  stream  of  patient  energy;  (16)  gulf  profound; 
(17)  fair  ships  on  the  deep;  (19)  sea;  (20)  timely  shower;  (30) 
storm-shattered  vessel;  (33)  Christmas  snows;  (34)  frosty 
rime;  (36)  moral  tempest;  (37)  sunny  bay;  (38)  Nile,  flood 
of  sacred  truth;  (39)  dewy  eve;  (40)  Alpine  vapors;  (41)  ebb 
and  flow;  (42)  Isis  and  Cam;   (45)  bubbles,  foam;   (46)  ocean; 

(47)  the  living  waters  brighten  as  they  roll. 

Flora  and  fauna 

Part  I     • 

(i)  Pastoral  flowers,  laurels,  amaranth,  palms;  (3)  sea-mew 
and  cormorant;  (4)  thick  woods;  (6)  flowery  platform;  (7) 
birds;  (8)  crown  of  thorns ;  (9)  roots  of  heresy ;  (10)  Cambrian 
wood  and  moss;  (15)  eagle's  beak;  (16)  sparrow;  (17)  ob- 
livious weeds;  (19)  winter  trees,  divine  fruit;  (21)  ivy  and 
elm;  (22)  sylvan  arches,  yellow  leaves,  beechen  bowl,  maple 
dish,  hooting  owl,  crested  fowl;  (23)  grove  or  flowery  mead; 
(24)  congregated  bees;  (25)  seeds  of  life;  (27)  sincere  root, 
branches  bold,  oak,  fostered  hyacinths;  (28)  Benedictine  coop; 
(32)  wasted  fields;   (35)  courage  leonine. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  75 

Part  2 

(i)  Heaven-born  flowers,  worldly  weeds;  (2)  brute  rapine; 
(3)  aery  harvests;  (4)  steer  or  hound,  rooted  trees;  (7)  flowers 
of  chivalry,  wreaths  that  shall  not  fail,  lamb  and  lion,  eagle  and 
dove;  (9)  pinions  of  higher  sweep;  (10)  the  tree  bearing 
celestial  fruit,  blighted  branches,  withered  shoots;  (11)  reeds; 
(12)  herbs  and  chestnuts;  (13)  reedy  fens;  (14)  the  lark;  (15) 
leopard,  lily;  (18)  pompous  horses;  (20)  the  sprightly  juice; 
(21)  gadding  bramble,  purple  fruit,  wren,  lizard,  newt,  owl  of 
evening,  woodland  fox;  (24)  dragons;  (25)  fancied  roses;  {2-]) 
forest;  (28)  green  and  yellow  leaves,  goodly  fruitage,  mother- 
spray;  (29)  shepherd;  (37)  escaping  birds,  poisonous  weeds; 
(44)  ancient  pine-trees;  (45)  bird  in  snare;  (46)  wood  and 
waste. 

Part  3 

(i)  Darksome  tree;  (2)  springtime  renewed;  (3)  Circean 
revels;  (5)  glow-worms;  (7)  wood;  (13)  woods;  (15)  seed  of 
Christian  unity,  wide-spreading  family;  (16)  wolves  and  sheep ; 
(17)  palm-groves;  (20)  Nature's  bed  of  weeds,  Christian 
flowers;  (21)  adopted  plant,  everlasting  bloom;  {22)  vernal 
posy,  distant  bee;  (24)  summer-leaf;  (25)  gloomiest  shade; 
(29)  timely  fruit;  (31)  withered  grass;  (32)  garland  gay;  (33) 
linnet,  thrush,  fresh  holly;  (34)  crown  of  weeds;  (39)  virgin 
sod,  mystic  Dove,  hawthorns,  oaks,  daisies;  (40)  pine-tree, 
green  moss;  (41)  native  turf,  rugged  colts,  wild  deer;  (43) 
branching  roof;    (45)  wreath  of  wisdom;    (47)  coiled  snake. 

Sky,  winds,  sun,  moon,  stars,  etc. 

Part  I 

(4)  Stars;  (5)  darkness;  (6)  ethereal  storehouses;  (7)  blue 
ether;  (9)  fiery  brand,  high  Heaven;  (10)  sunny  light;  (11) 
pagan  night;  (14)  morning  fair;  (16)  blazing  fire;  (18)  dark- 
ness, midnight  stars,  noonday  blaze;  (19)  the  common  air; 
{22)  soft  heaven;   (24)  needful    sunshine;    (26)  starry  ether. 


76  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

day's  cheer,  night's  awe;  (28)  supernatural  world;  (29)  full- 
orbed  moon,  ethereal  sky;  (31)  stars  and  tapers  shine,  lamps 
and  fires  are  quenched;  (32)  Heaven;  (35)  giddy  heights; 
(36)  papal  shadow;  (37)  sky's  fantastic  element;  (39)  view- 
less wind. 

Part  2 

(2)  Error's  darkest  hour;  (5)  astronomer,  starry  throng; 
(7)  heartfelt  fragrance  on  the  gale;  (10)  light  of  Heaven's 
promises;  (11)  tapers,  incense,  soft  breeze;  (12)  God's  good 
winter;  (13)  glorious  lights  of  martyrdom;  (14)  soHtary  spark, 
sacred  fire;  (15)  no  sullen  fire,  the  fanning  breeze;  (17)  Voice 
walking  on  the  wind;  (20)  blazing  fire;  (21)  quenched  tapers; 
{22)  celestial  blushes,  summer  suns,  sober  light;  (23)  pro- 
pitious winds;  (24)  radiant  shapes,  sweet  gales;  (25)  eastern 
skies  at  daybreak;  (26)  fire;  {2^)  ghostly  tenants  of  the  wind; 
(28)  hurricane,  airy  bonds;  (31)  genuine  morning-star,  papal 
darkness;  (34)  torch  of  inextinguishable  fight;  (35)  ghastly 
ruins  of  the  fire;  (36)  fields  of  light;  (38)  glorious  light  of 
Elizabeth's  silver  car;  (39)  gales  from  field  and  bower;  (42) 
dismal  night;  (44)  gentle  skies;  (45)  celestial  air;  (46)  the 
firmament. 

Part  3 

(2)  Earliest  beam  of  light ;  (4)  secrets  from  above  the  starry 
sphere,  pure  spirit  of  celestial  light;  (5)  lonely  tapers,  lucid 
ring,  satellites,  stars  on  high,  fairest  sky;  (8)  a  voice  shatters 
the  air;  (9)  sun;  (10)  star  of  liberty;  (12)  horizon  line;  (13) 
galaxy  that  knows  no  end;  (15)  apostolic  light;  (17)  star 
dependent  upon  star;  (19)  zodiac;  (23)  sunset;  (24)  star- 
crowned  Muse;  (25)  path  of  light;  (32)  sky  red  with  evening 
lights;  (33)  fiery  blights;  (34)  silent  air;  (37)  soft  and  happy 
gale;  (38)  Sabbath  bells  on  the  breeze;  (40)  sun  and  fresh 
air;  (41)  morn  and  even;  (42)  the  world  above;  (43)  light  and 
shade;  (44)  coming  night;  (45)  sky-like  dome,  silent  Cross 
among  the  stars;  (46)  purpureal  flame,  sun;  (47)  noontide. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  77 

This  analysis  justifies  a  few  inferences: 

First.  The  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  are  richly  endowed  with 
natural  imagery. 

Secondly.  This  imagery  is  not  used  for  its  own  sake,  but  to 
emphasize  the  structure  of  the  poem,  and  to  recall  associations 
proper  to  the  theme. 

Thirdly.  The  arrangement  of  the  imagery  in  each  case 
accords  with  the  advance  of  the  plot. 

Fourthly.  The  imagery  constitutes  a  four-fold  decoration, 
the  conventionalized  phenomena  of  the  earth,  the  waters, 
flora  and  fauna,  the  heavens. 

Fifthly.  Although  it  is  possible  to  trace  these  separately, 
they  are  interwoven  with  great  skill  and  in  a  very  just  pro- 
portion. 

Sixthly.  The  associations  of  the  individual  elements  of  the 
decoration  seem  to  be  distinct: 

Earth:  The  mere  frame  or  basis  of  material  hfe;  to  which 

all  things  resort;  out  of  which  all  things  come. 

The  waters:   The  mobile,  incalculable  influence  of  divine 

grace  upon  human  life;    as  such,   the  characteristic  phe- 
nomena of  spiritual  history. 

Flora  and  fauna :    The  results  of  the  influence  of  divine 

grace  in  human  life;   definite  but  transient. 

The  heavens:    The  pattern  of  the  divine  toward  which 

human  life  is  prompted  from  below  and  urged  from  above; 

not  calculable,  but  permanent. 

Were  books  alone  to  be  considered,  Wordsworth's  familiar 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  his  intimacy  w4th  Virgil,  Horace, 
Lucretius,  and  Catullus^  would  account  for  the  skill  with 
which  he  handles  natural  imagery  as  a  subordinate  element  in 
the  design.  He  was  scarcely  insensible  of  the  artistic  range  of 
'pater  aether'  and  'Venus  genetrix*  as  the  classic  poets  had 
conceived  them.^  And  the  whole  course  of  his  thought  recalls 
the  Hebrew  conception  of  nature  in  the  Psalms.  His  indebt- 
edness to  Latin,  Biblical,  and  EngHsh  literary  tradition,  how- 
ever, will  be  elsewhere  retailed. 

^  Letters  2.179. 

2  Cf.  Cook,  Chaucerian  Papers  I.  1-2 1,  in  Trans.  Conn.  Acad,  of  Arts 
ajid  Sciences,  Nov.,  1919. 


\ 


78  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

But  the  mountains  and  streams  of  Westmoreland  are  not 
less  concerned  in  his  decorative  imagery  than  in  his  structural 
design.  For  what  the  latter  owed  to  the  Description  of  the 
Scenery  of  the  English  Lakes,  the  former  owes  to  The  River 
Duddon.  Nor  would  it  be  wise  to  discount  the  gain  in  crafts- 
manship made  in  the  writing  of  either  of  these  antecedent 
works. 

Turning  to  Wordsworth's  note  on  The  River  Duddon,  then, 
we  find  a  further  definition  of  his  purpose,  and  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  his  debt  to  Coleridge  and  to  Burns  which  enables  us 
to  connect  both  of  his  great  contemporaries  with  the  Ecclesi- 
astical Sonnets.     Wordsworth  says: 

*  In  this  manner  I  had  proceeded  insensibly,  without  per- 
ceiving that  I  was  trespassing  upon  ground  preoccupied,  at 
least  as  far  as  intention  went,  by  Mr.  Coleridge;  who,  more 
than  twenty  years  ago,  used  to  speak  of  writing  a  rural  poem, 
to  be  entitled  ''The  Brook,"  of  which  he  has  given  a  sketch 
in  a  recent  publication.^  .  .  .  May  I  not  venture,  then,  to 
hope  that,  instead  of  being  a  hindrance  by  any  anticipation 
of  any  part  of  the  subject,  these  sonnets  may  remind  Mr. 
Coleridge  of  his  own  more  comprehensive  design,  and  induce 
him  to  fulfil  it? — -There  is  a  sympathy  in  streams, — "one 
calleth  to  another";  and  I  would  gladly  beheve  that  ''The 
Brook"  will  ere  long  murmur  in  concert  with  "The  Duddon." 
.  .  .  The  power  of  waters  over  the  minds  of  poets  has  been 
acknowledged  from  the  earliest  ages;  through  the  "Flumina 
amem  sylvasque  inglorius"  of  Virgil,  down  to  the  sublime 
apostrophe  to  the  great  rivers  of  the  earth  by  Armstrong,  and 
the  siniple  ejaculation  of  Burns  (chosen,  if  I  recollect  right, 
by.  Mr.  Coleridge  as  a  motto  for  his  embryo  "Brook"): 

The  Muse  nae  Poet  ever  fand  her, 
Till  by  himsel'  he  learned  to  wander, 
Adown  some  trotting  burn's  meander, 
And  na'  think  lang.'  ^ 

If  there  be  a  'sympathy  in  streams — ^"one  calleth  to  an- 
other,"' and  if  the  trotting  burn  and  The  Brook  called  to 
The  River  Duddon,  may  not  The  River  Duddon  have  called  to 
'  the  holy  river '  ? 

^  Cf.  Biographia  Literaria,  ed.  by  ShaWcross,  1.129. 
2  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  908. 


MANUSCRIPT  F 

[Bracketed  numbers  indicate  the  successive  pages  of  the 
manuscript.  Words  deleted  in  the  original  are  printed  in 
pointed  brackets.  The  first  sheet,  unnumbered,  bears  the 
general  title  'Ecclesiastical  Sonnets.'] 


80 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


Contents 


Eccl.  Sonnets 

Illustration                                  12 
Troubles  of  Ch:  the  first        13 

Introduction 

I 

Charles  the  2nd                         26 

Conjectures 

2.3 

Down  a  swift  stream                17 

Druidical  Excom. 

48 

Pastoral  Character                   24 

Uncertainty 

4 

The  Liturgy                               33 

Persecution 

5 

Mutability                                 54 

Recovery 

40 

Old  Abbeys                  49  <50> 

Persuasion 

7.8 

New  Ch:  yard                           53 

Crusades 

35-39 

Kings  Coll:  Chapel                  51 

An  Interdict 

21 

Papal  Abuses 

20 

Scene  in  Venice 

23.32 

Transferred  to  other  Series 

Papal  Dominion 

22 

Waldenses           <33->37-38.55 

The  Fall  of  Aar                     6.41 

Arch.  Chicheley 

10 

Decay  of  Piety                          1 1 

Wickliff 

14 

Sky  Prospect                   18.19  30 

Reflections 
Cranmer 

9 

Not  Love  nor  War                   25 

50 

Troubles  of  Reformation 

42 

Long  Meg  &  Daughters    46.47 

Reformers  in  Exile 

27 

Parsonage  in  Oxfordsh:           52 

Elizabeth 

4344 

Eminent  Reformers 

15.16 

Fragments 

The  Same 

45 

Gunpowder  Plot 

36 

[On]  pages                  28.29  31-34 

OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  81 

I    PART    I 

I  who  descended  with  glad  step  to  chace 
Cerulean  Duddon  from  his  cloud  fed  spring 

dared 
And  of  my  wild  companions  (strove)  to  sing 
In  verse  that  moved  with  strictly  measured  pace 

essayed  the.  nobler  stream  to  trace 
I  who  (confiding  till  all  sober  trace) 

Liberty  and  smote  the  plausive  string 
Of  faith  was  lost  to  millions,  smote  the  string 

the  checked  torrent  fiercely 
Till  (Freedom  like  a  torrent)  combating 

In  victory  found  her  natural  resting  place 

Now  seek  on  Times  sequestered  height  the  source 

Of  a  great  river  on  whose  banks  are  found 

Sweet 

Both  pastoral  flowers  &  laurels  that  have  crowned 

Full  oft  the  unworthy  brow  of  lawless  force 
And  for  delight  of  him  who  tracks  its  course 
(Bright  wreaths  of  Amaranth  and  palms  (are  found)) 

abound 
Immortal  amaranth  and  palms  abound. 

In  Miss  Wordsworth's  hand  writing. 

[2] 

II    PART    I 

If  there  be  Prophets  on  whose  spirit  rest 
Past  things  revealed  like  future  let  them  tell 
How  the  prime  gushings  of  that  sacred  well 
Rose  to  refresh  the  Islands  barren  breast 

through 
Did  holy  Paul  a  wandered  [?r]  in  the  west 
As  some  have  taught  awhile  in  Britain  dwell 
And  call  the  fountain  forth  by  miracle 
And  with  dread  signs  the  nascent  stream  invest 
Or  He  whose  chains  dropped  off  whose  prison  doors 
Flew  open  by  an  angels  voice  unbarred? 

lower 
Or  some  of  humbler  name  to  these  wild  shores 
Storm-driven;  who  having  seen  that  cup  of  woe 
Pass  frorn  their  master,  sojourned  here  to  guard 
The  precious  current  they  had  taught  to  flow. 

See  p.  3. 


82  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

[3] 

II    PART    I 

Where  lies  the  ground  on  Albion  that  was  blest 
With  the  first  gushings  of  that  sacred  well 

•       flood 
What  song  of  Bard,  O  Mighty  stream,  can  tell 
Thy  origin  attest 

through 
Did  holy  Paul  a  wanderer  in  the  west 
As  some  have  taught  awhile  in  Britain  dwell 
And  called  thy  fountain  forth  by  miracle 
And  with  dread  signs  thy  nascent  stream  invest 
Darkness  surrounds  us,  se.eking  we  are  lost 
Mid  shade  unpierceable  of  Druid  groves 
Shades  that  enwrap  the  majesty  unknown 
Of  Temples — still  preserved  in  mountain  coves 
Entire,  and  seeming  perfect  as  the  moon 

begins 
Before  her  wane  [?]  on  heavens  blue  coast 

See  page  2. 


[4] 

V.    PART    I 

Yes  if  the  patriot  sons  of  England  turn 

a  proud 
With  votive  step  to  grassy  Runnymede 
If  Scotia's  children  tremble  while  they  tread 
Panting  for  chains  to  break,  for  foes  to  spurn 
The  flowery  brink  of  slender  Bannockburn 
Shall  sympathy  be  wanting  while  I  plead 
For  hidden  evidence  of  place  and  deed 

<or> 

And  oer  the  silent  waste  of  ages  mourn. 
Darkness  surrounds  us,  seeking  we  are  lost 
Mid  shade  unpierceable  of  Druid  groves 
Shades  that  enwrapped  the  Majesty  unknown 
Of  pristine  temples  yet  mid  mountain  coves 
Preserved,  or  traceable  in  masses  strewn 
Like  wrecks  far  flung  upon  a  lonely  coast. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  83 

[5] 

VI    PART    I 

Lament,  for  Dioclesian's  fiery  sword 
Works  busy  as  the  lightening  but  instinct 
With  malice  ne'er  to  deadliest  weapon  linked 
Which  Gods  etherial  storehouses  afford: 
Against  the  followers  of  the  incarnate  Lord 
It  rages;  some  are  smitten  in  the  field 
Some  are  pierced  beneath  the  unavailing  shield 
Of  sacred  home;  with  pomp  are  others  gored 
And  dreadful  respite.     Thus  was  Alban  tried 

England's  first  martyr — whom 

(Whose  magnanimity)  no  threats  could  shake 

Self  offered  victim  for  his  friend  he  died 
And  for  the  faith,  nor  shall  his  name  forsake 
That  hill  whose  flowery  platform  seems  to  rise 
By  nature  decked  for  holiest  sacrifice. 

Partly  in  [?]  Mrs.  Wordsworth's  hand  writing. 

[6] 

Itinerary  Sonnets,  Continent  1820 

XIII 

When  we  behold  this  Alpine  torrent  throwing 

His  giant  body  from  the  steep  rocks  brink 

Back  in  astonishment  and  fear  we  shrink 

But  high  and  low  a  calmer  look  bestowing 

Flowers  we  descry  beside  the  torrent  growing 

Flowers  that  peep  forth  from  many  a  cleft  &  chink 

And  from  the  whirlwind  of  her  anger  drink 

Hues  ever  fresh  in  rocky  fortress  blowing 

They  suck  from  breath  that  threatening  to  destroy 

Is  more  benignant  than  the  dewy  eve 

Beauty  and  life  and  motions  as  of  joy: 

Nor  doubt  that  He  to  whom  yon  pine  trees  nod 

Their  heads  in  sign  of  worship.  Nature's  God 

These  humbler  adorations  will  receive. 

In  [?]  Mrs.  Wordsworth's  hand  writing. 


84  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


[7] 


XVI    PART    I 


The  life  of  man  may  be  compared,  O  King 

Even  to  a  sparrow  one  that  while  you  sit 

Housed  with  your  Friends  hath  entered  &  doth  flit 

Beneath  your  warm  roof's  happy  covering 

Then  forth  in  all  mens  sight  on  hasty  wing 

It  flies  and  passes  on  from  cold  to  cold 

But  whence  it  came  we  know  nor  behold 

Whither  it  goes.     Even  such  a  transient  thing 

Our  human  soul;  not  utterly  unknown 

While  in  the  body  lodged  its  warm  abode; 

But  from  what  world  it  came,  what  woe  or  weal 

On  its  departure  waits,  no  tongue  hath  shewn; 

This  mystery  if  the  Preacher  can  reveal 

His  be  a  welcome  joyfully  bestowed. 


See  p.  8. 

[8] 


XVI.    PART    I 


Mans  life  is  like  a  sparrow.  Mighty  King 

That  entereth  and  departeth  as  you  sit 

Housed  with  your  Friends.     In  truth  'tis  seen  to  flit 

Well  sheltered  and  in  comfort  tarrying 

For  a  brief  while,  then  forth  on  hasty  w^ing 

She  flies  and  passes  on  from  cold  to  cold 

But  whence  she  [?came]  we  know  nor  behold 

Whither  she  goes — Even  such  that  transient  thing 

The  human  Soul,  not  utterly  unknown 

While  in  the  body  lodged  its  warm  abode 

But  from  what  world  it  came,  what  woe  or  weal 

Its  future  course  attends,  no  tongue  hath  shewn; 

stranger 
This  mystery  if  the  < stranger >  teacher  can  reveal, 
His  be  a  welcome  cordially  bestowed. 

See  page  7. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  85 

[9] 

XXVIII    PART    II 

Grant  that  by  this  unsparing  hurricane 
Green  leaves  with  yellow  mixed  were  rent  away 
And  goodly  fruitage  with  the  mother  spray 
Twere  madness,  wished  we  therefore  to  detain 

sighs 
With  farewell  grief  of  mollified  disdain 
The  "trumpery"  that  ascends  in  bare  display 
Bulls  pardons  relics  cowls  black  white  &  grey 
Upwhirled  and  flying  oer  the  ethereal  plain 
Fast  bound  for  Limbo  Lake.     Rejoice,  be  glad 
That  the  devices  which  have  ministerred 
To  the  green  Islands  shame  at  length  have  flown 
But  that  high  power  fate  suddenly  transferred 

(To  enforce  that  might  make  a  wise  King)  sad 
Might  make  the  ruler  .... 

Both  for  her  peoples  sake  and  for  her  own 

such 
But  that  high  power  full  rightfully  transferred 
What  wonder  if  the  crown  assumes  a  voice 
Of  reckless  mastery  hitherto  unknown 


[10] 

XV    PART    II 

Illustrious  King 

(Is  there  a  flower)  in  garden  or  in  field 

What  flower  so  beauteous  as 

(That  boasts  the  beauty  of)  the  crimson  rose 

Fair  in  herself — and  when  beside  her  blows 
The  towering  lilly  lacks  the  power  to  yield 

mix 
Fairer  she  seems — to  (blend)  them  on  thy  shield 

<  may  > 

W^rest  the  proud  lilly  from  usurping  foes 

Haste  to  their  shores  nor  let  them  feel  repose 

If  there  be  sword  to  grasp  or  axe  to  wield 

Till  Heaven  has  crowned  the  right.     The  wily  Sire 

Thus  spake,  and  Lol  a  fleet  to  Gaul  addressed 

Ploughs  its  bold  course,  across  the  wondering  seas 

For  sooth  to  say  ambition  in  the  breast 

Of  youthful  Heroes  is  no  sullen  fire 

But  one  that  leaps  to  meet  the  fanning  breeze. 


86  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

[II] 
Transferred  to  Misc.  Sonnets  No  I  XXII 

Decay  of  Piety 

A  gleam  of  joy  upon  my  furrowed  cheek 
I  think  of  those  who  punctual  to  the  call 
Of  their  loved  church  on  fast  or  festival 

Through  the  long  year  the  House  of  God 

(High  converse  in  the  House  of  Prayer)  [?]  seek. 

<By  Christmas  snows,  by  blasts  of  Ember  week> 

By  Christmas  snows 

(Such  my  youth  saw)  by  blasts  of  Ember  week 

By  Easter  rains 

(By  Christmas  snows)  unscared  from  hut  or  hall 

They  came  to  lowly  bench  or  sculptured  stall 

fervour 
But  with  one  spirit  of  devotion  meek. 
I  seek  the  places  where  they  once  were  known 
And  ask  surrounded  even  by  kneeling  crowds 
Is  antient  piety  for  ever  flown? 
Alas!     Even  then  they  seemed  like  fleecy  clouds 
That  struggling  through  the  western  sky  have  won 
Their  pensive  light  from  a  departed  sun. 


And  doth  in  more  conspicuous  torrent  writhe 
Deafening  the  region  in  her  ireful  mood. 

XLIII  PT  II 

Virgin  Mountain 
(The  Jung  Frau)  wearing  like  a  (maiden)  queen 
<young> 

A  brilliant  crown  of  everlasting  snow 
Sheds  ruin  from  her  sides;  and  men  below 
Wonder  that  aught  of  aspect  so  serene 

desolation 
Can  link  with  <devastation>.     Smooth,  and  green, 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  87 

And  seeming  at  a  little  distance,  slow 
The  waters  of  the  Rhine,  but  on  they  go. 
Fretting  &  whitening  keener  and  more  keen. 

Till  madness  seizes  on  the  whole  wide  flood 
And  down  the  precipice  its  nostril  breathes 
Blasts  of  tempestuous  smoke,  wherewith  it  tries 
To  hide  itself,  and  doth  but  aggrandize  (?) 
To  earth  to  heaven,  above  and  underneath 
Roaring  like  ocean  or  a  mighty  wood 

Turned  to  a  fearful  thing  whose  nostrils  breathe 
Blasts  of  tempestuous  smoke  wherewith  it  tries 
To  hide  <itself  >  himself  but  only  magnifies. 
To  earth  to  heaven  above  and  underneath 

Roaring  like  ocean  or  some  mighty  wood. 

Roaring  like  storms  at  war  with  some  huge  (vast)  wood 

Roaring  with  voice  no  [?]  extinguished 

And  doth  in  more  conspicuous  torment  writhe 
In  [?]  Mr.  Wordsworth  hand  writing. 


[13] 

XLIV.    PART    II 

Such  contrast  in  whatever  track  we  move 
To  the  mind's  eye  Religion  doth  present 
Now  like  the  mountain  with  still  peace  content 
And  in  a  moment  thundering  from  above 
Against  the  ancient  cedars  of  grove 

humblest 
And  the  Lands  < humblest  >  comforts — Now  her  mood 

temper  of  a  headland 
Recals  the  (transformation  of  the)  flood 

Whose  sudden  rage  the 
(Whose  rage  the  gentle)  heavens  in  vain  reprove 

Fury  in 
Earth  can  not  check.     (Of  fury)  such  access 


88  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Noblest  of  guides  and  guardians  seized  on  thee 
Or  some  pretender  to  thy  shape  and  name 

Shall 

As  England  witness(ed)  struggling  to  be  free 

Yet  scourged  with  pride  of  desperate  wretchedness 
Her  blessings  cursed  her  glory  turned  to  shame 

As  Royal  Charles  the  first  who  bore  the  name 
Witnessed  while  England  struggling  to  be  free 
Was  scourged, 


[14] 

XVII    PART    II 

through  many  a 
When  Wickliff  having  lain  (from  year  to)  year 

Within  the  graves  dark  cell  was  disinhumed 

were 
And  his  dry  bones  to  ashes  was  consumed 

that  travelled 
These  flung  into  a  brook  (whose  course  was)  near 

that  ancient 
Thus  spake  a  <that  ancient  >  voice  (from  heaven) 

which  streams  can  hear 

Parting  the  clouds  or  walking  on  the  wind 

((Albeit  passage  seldom  it  can  find 

Voice  seldom  heard  by  busy 

Into  the  busy  hearts  of)  human  kind 

As  thou  these  ashes  little  brook  wilt  bear 

Into  the  Avon,  Avon  to  the  tide 

Of  Severn,  Severn  to  the  narrow  seas 

Into  <the>  main  Ocean  they  this  deed  accurst 

An  emblem  yields  to  friends  and  enemies 

How  the  bold  Teachers  doctrine  sanctified 

throughout 
By  truth  shall  spread   <  through  >  the  [Pworld]  disperst 

Thus  spake  that  antient  voice  that  streams  can  hear 
That  antient  voice  which  walks  upon  the  wind 
Though  seldom  heard  by  busy — 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  89 

[15] 
XXXIX  PT.  II 

Methinks  that  I  could  trip  o'er  heaviest  soil 

<[?]vastest> 
Light  as  a  buoyant  bark  from  wave  to  wave 

trusty 
Were  mine  the  precious  staff  that  Jewel  gave 
To  youthful  Hooker  in  familiar  style 
His  gift  exalting,  and  with  playful  smile 
And  who  a  farewell  blessing  meek  and  grave 
And  thus  accomplished  who  could  fear  to  brave 
Tempests  or  weight  of  way,  or  length  of  toil. 
More  sweet  those  odours  caught  by  him  who  sails 
Near  spicy  shores  of  Araby  the  blest 
Detained — a  thousand  times  more  touching  sweet 

freight  feeling 

That  breath  of  holy  rapture  which  we  meet 
In  thoughtful  moments  wafted  by  the  gales 
Of  history  from  the  tombs  where  good  men  rest. 

See  page  16. 

[16] 
XXXIX  PT.  II 

Methinks  that  I  could  trip  oer  heaviest  soil 

Light  as  a  <boy>  buoyant  bark  from  wave  to  wave 

Were  mine  the  trusty  staff  that  Jewel  gave 

To  youthful  Hooker  in  familiar  style 

The  gift  exalting  and  with  playful  smile 

A  farewell  blessing  crowned  the  travellers  head 

(Then  did  a  farewell  blessing  crown  his  head 

And  in  this  sort  accomplished  who  could  dread 

And  thus  accomplished  could  the  traveller  dread) 

Tempest  or  length  of  way  or  weight  of  toil 

More  sweet  than  odours  caught  by  him  who  sails 

Along  the 

(Near  spicy)  shores  of  Araby  the  blest 

A  thousand  times  more  exquisitely  sweet 

(Detained  a  thousand  times  more  touching  sweet) 

The  freight  of  holy  feeling  which  we  meet 

In  thoughtful  moments  wafted  by  the  gales 

Of  history  from  the  tombs  where  good  men  rest 

See  page  15. . 

Accomplished  thus  and  bearing  on  his  head 
A  farewell  blessing  could  the  traveller  dread 


90  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

XII   PART   III 

In  Index  =  "Down  a  swift  Stream" 


[17] 


The  confidence  of  youth  our  only  art 
And  hope  gay  Pilot  of  the  bold  design 
We  saw  the  living  landscape  of  the  Rhine 
Reach  after  reach  salute  us  and  depart 
Slow  sink  the  spires  and  up  again  they  start 
And  who  shall  count  the  towers  as  they  recline 
Oer  the  dark  steeps,  or  on  the  horizon  line 

With  shattered  crests  standing  the  eye  athwart 
Stand  with  their  shattered  crest  the  eye  athwart 

In  awful  silence.     Yet  more  deep  the  pleasure 
And  yet  more  deep  more  perfect  was  the  pleasure 

(rapid) 
When  hurried  forward  till  the  slackening  stream 

[?] 
Spread  like  an  ample  mere 
Was  spread  into  a  lake  we  then  could  measure 

A  [?]  more 
(A  tranquil  course)  along  the  watery  gleam 

<dull> 
Though  dull  I  now  regret,  that  such  calm  leisure 
Such  solemn  peace  (await  our?)  future  theme. 

[18] 
Itinerary  Sonnet  Continent  1820 

XXXIV 

Yet  all  is  harmless — as  the  Elysian  shades 
Where  spirits  dwell  in  undisturbed  repose — 
Silently  disappears  or  quickly  fades 
As  if  produced  in  mockery  of  the  shows 

hourly 
That  for  oblivion  take  their  <  hasty  >  birth 
From  the  disorders  of  the  wanton  earth. 

Upon  a  River  I  have  long  been  pent 

ween 
And  captive  holden  betwixt  shore  and  shore 
In  shallows  oft  detained,  by  joys  oershaded 
Mount  fancy  mount!     These  wonders  to  explore 
But  quickly  some  dissolved  and  others  faded 
And  with  my  portion  I  was  well  content 

See  page  19  30. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  91 

[19] 
Continent  1820 

XXXIV 

splendid 
Lo!  in  the  burning  west  the  craggy  nape  • 

Of  a  proud  Ararat  and  thereupon 
The  ark  her  melancholy  voyage  done 
Yon  rampant  cloud  mimics,  a  lions  shape 

There  combats  a  huge 

(See  there  a  monstrous)  crocodile — agape 

A  golden  spear  to  swallow!  and  that  brown 
And  massy  grove,  so  near  yon  blazing  town 
Stirs — and  recedes — destruction  to  escape! 
Mimics  of  fancy  long  my  heart  has  beat 
The  servile  map  of  history  to  explore 
By  these  wild  feats  such  labour  is  upbraided 
Mine  eyes  were  turned  away;  but  when  once  more 
They  looked  so  much  had  disappeared  or  faded 
That  with  my  portion  I  was  well  content 
Sighing  I  turned  away  but  when  once  more 
I  looked  so  much    / 

See  pages  18-30. 


[20] 


xxxvni  [XXXVII]  PART  I 


xAnd  verily,  as  we  our  course  pursue 
The  gross  materials  of  this  world  present 

A  marvelous  study  of  wild 
(A  pageantry  of  marvellous)  accident 
Uncouth  proximities  of  old  and  new 
And  bold  transfigurations  more  untrue 
As  might  be  deemed  to  disciplined  intent 
Than  aught  the  skys  fantastic  element 
When  most  fantastic  offers  to  the  view 

<our> 

scourged 
[?Lo]  royal  shoulders  bare  at  Becket's  shrine 
To  penal  stripes;  Lo  John  puts  off  his  crown, 
To  be — with  sceptre  mantle  ring — laid  down 
At  a  proud  Legates  feet.     The  spears  that  line 
Baronial  halls  the  opprobrious  treason  feel 
And  angry  ocean  roars  a  vain  appeal. 
John  self  dispoiled  of  his  insignia;  crown 
Sceptre  and  mantle,  sword  and  ring  laid  down 


92  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

[2i: 

XXXVI    PART    I 

(An  interdict  preceding  the  disgrace 
as  if  designed  to  typify  the  Power) 

By  those  dread  words  that 

that 
The  word  hath  issued  <  forth  >  from  hope  of  grace 

Cuts  off  a  universal  Realm.     The  Power 
That  boasts  command  of  Heavens  eternal  door 

Hath  closed  the  gates  of  every  holy 
Closed  every  church  and  consecrated  place 

Strait  from  the  sun  and  tainted  airs  embrace 

sacred 
All  holy  things  are  covered;  chearful  morn 
Grows  sad  as  night — No  seemly  garb  is  worn 

is  a  face  allowed  to  meet  a  face 
Nor  mirth  allowed  nor  face  that  meets  a  face 

With  natural  smiles  of  greeting.     Bells  are  dumb 

Ditches  are  graves — funereal  rites  denied 

And  in  the  churchyard  he  must  take  his  bride 

Who  dares  be  wedded.     Fancies  thickly  come 

Into  the  pensive  heart  ill  fortified 

And  comfortless  despairs  the  soul  benumb. 

The  universal  realm  from  hope  of  grace 
Is  by  a  word  cut  off — the  dreadful  power 


XXXIX   PART    I 


[22] 


Unless  to  Peters  chair  the  voiceless  wind 
Must  come  and  ask  permission  when  to  blow, 
What  further  empire  would  it  have?     For  now 
A  ghostly  domination  unconfined 
As  that  by  dreaming  bards  to  Love  assigned 
Sits  there  in  sober  truth — to  raise  the  low 

Perplex  the  wise  strong 

The  strong  to  curb,  the  proud  to  overthrow 

Through  earth  and  Heaven  to  bind  &  to  unbind! 
Resist — the  thunder  quails  thee, — crouch, — rebuff 
Shall  be  thy  recompense!  from  land  to  land 
The  antient  thrones  of  Christendom  are  stuff 
For  occupation  of  a  magic  wand. 
And  'tis  the  Pope  that  wields  it,  whether  rough 
Or  smooth  his  front,  our  world  is  in  his  hand 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  93 

[23] 

xxxvni  PART  I 

A  Scene 

About  the  same  period 

In  the  church  of  St.  Alark  \'enice 

Black  Demons  hovering  oer  his  mitred  head 
To  Caesar's  successor  the  Pontiff  spake, 
Ere  I  absolve  thee  stoop  that  on  thy  neck 
Levelled  with  earth  this  foot  of  mine  may  tread 
Then  he  who  to  the  altar  had  been  led 
He  whose  strong  arm  the  orient  could  not  check 
He  who  had  held  the  Soldan  at  his  beck 
Stooped  of  all  glory  disinherited 
And  e'en  the  common  dignity  of  man 

Amazement  seized  (<on  all>)  the  crowd  while 
(Humiliating  sight  where)  many  turn 

Their  eyes  away  in  sorrow  others  burn 
In  sorrow  or  amazement  while  some  burn 
With  scorn  invoking  a  vindictive  ban 

outraged 
From  holy  Nature,  but  the  sense  of  most 

is 
In  abject  sympathy  with  power  was  lost 

See  page  32. 


XVIII    PART    III 


[24] 


A  cleanly  fire  a  hospitable  board 

And  a  refined  rusticity  belong 

(These  fancy  shews  as  adjuncts  that  belong) 

To  the  neat  mansion  where  his  flock  among 
The  happy  pastor  dwells  their  watchful  Lord 
Though  meek  and  patient  as  a  sheathed  sword 

thought 
Though  Pride's  least  lurking  A  appear  a  wrong 
To  human  kind;  though  peace  be  on  his  tongue 
Gentleness  in  his  heart 
And  gentleness  there  dwell,  can  earth  afford 

Such  genuine  state,  pre-eminence  so  free 
As  when  equipped  with  Christ's  authority 
He  from  the  pulpit  lifts  his  awful  hand 
Conjures  implores  and  labours  all  he  can 
For  re-subjecting  to  divine  command 
The  stubborn  spirit  of  rebellious  man. 


94  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

Miscellaneous  Sonnets  part  II 
IX 


[25] 


And  must  we  having  left  behind  the  swell 
Of  war  and  conflict  and  the  wrecks  of  change 
And  duty  struggling  with  afflictions  strange 
Henceforth  to  silence  doom  the  chorded  shell 
Unworthy  thought  where  peace  and  concord  dwell 
There  also  is  the  Muse  not  loth  to  range 

chimney 
She  loves  the  blue  smoke  from  the  elmy  grange 
Skyward  ascending  from  the  twilight  dell 
Mute  aspirations  soothe  her  lone  endeavour 
And  sage  content  and  quiet  melancholy 
Her  eyes  delight  to  brood  upon  a  river 
Diaphanous  because  it  [?]  travels  slowly 
Soft  is  the  music  that  would  please  forever 
The  flower  of  sweetest  smell  is  shy  and  lowly. 


[26] 
III  Part  III 

See  royal  Charles  with  frantic  joy  carest 
From  exile  lands  his  Kingdom  to  regain 
Him  virtue's  nurse  <ry>,  adversity,  in  vain 
Received  and  fostered  in  her  iron  breast 
For  all  she  taught  of  hardiest  and  of  best 
Or  would  have  taught  by  discipline  of  pain 
And  long  privation  now  dissolved  amain 
Or  is  remembered  only  to  give  zest 
To  wantonness — away  Circean  revels 

the  people 
Already  stands  our  country  on  the  brink 
Of  bigot  rage  that  all  distinction  levels 
Of  truth  and  falsehood,  swallowing  her  good  name 
And  with  that  draught  the  life  blood,  misery,  shame 
By  poets  loathed,  from  which  historians  shrink. 

Who  comes  with  rapture  greeted  and  carest 
With  boundless  love  his  kingdom  to  regain. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  95 

[27] 
XXXVII    PART    II 

Scattered  like  birds  escaped  the  murtherers  net 

alien 
(Some  fly  for  safety  to  a  <  foreign  >)  strand 
Some  seek  with  timely  flight  a  foreign 

Most  happy  re-assembled  in  the  land 

(Of  safety,  might  they  could  the[y]  ere  forget) 

Of  Luther  could  they  Englands  woes  forget 

Their  country  woes.     But  scarcely  have  they  met 

Alas  the  fugitives  have  scarcely  met 

Partners  in  faith  and  brothers  in  distress 

Free  to  pour  forth  their  common  thankfulness 

In  worship,  when  their  union  is  beset 

With  prurient  speculations  rashly  sown 

(thickly) 
Whence 

<When>  a  thickly  sprouting  growth  of  jarring  creeds; 
(Whence  an  unhallowed) 

Their  truths  are  broken  staves,  their  passions  steeds 
That  master  them;  they  split — in  vain — how  blest 
Is  he  who  may  by  help  of  grace,  enthrone 
The  peace  of  God  within  his  single  breast 


[28] 


Who  comes  with  rapture  greeted  and  carest 
With  boundless  love  his  kingdom  to  regain? 
Him  virtues  nurse,  adversity,  in  vain 
Received  and  nurtured  in  her  iron  breast 
Whateer  she  taught  of  hardiest  and  of  best 

See  p.  26. 

I  deplore 
With  filial  grief  the  sad  vicissitude 
If  she  has  fallen  and  pitying  heaven  restore 
The  prostrate,  and  my  springtime  is  renewed 
And  sorrow  bartered  for  exceeding  joy 

See  Sonnet  II  part  III. 

In  quest  of  Limbo  Lake.     And  yet  not  choice 

unreflecting 
But  habit  rules  the  < unrelenting >  herd 
And  airy  bonds  are  hardest  to  disown 
Hence  with  the  spiritual  sovereignty  transferred 
Unto  itself  the  crown  assumes  a  voice 
Of  reckless  mastery  hitherto  unknown 


See  p.  9. 


96  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

[29] 

The  spirit  of  Nassau 
By  constant  impulse  of  religious  awe 
Swayed  and  thereby  enabled  to  contend 
With  the  wide  worlds  commotions  from  its  end 
Swerves  not — diverted  by  a  casual  law 

See  Son:  IX  part  III. 

Stay  the  loved  song  and  bid  the  harp  farewell 

[30] 

Continent  1820 

XXXIV 

See  in  the  burning  west  the  craggy  nape 
Of  a  proud  Ararat  and  thereupon 
The  ark  her  melancholy  voyage  done 

mimics 
That  rampant  cloud  (assumes)  a  lions  shape 

See  there  a  monstrous 

(That  other  is  a)  crocodile  agape 

A 
Yon  golden  spear  to  swallow,  and  those  brown 

massy  groves  yon 

And  (sullen  clouds)  so  near  that  blazing  town 

Stirs  and  recedes 

(Are  groves  that  now)  destruction  to  escape 

Mimics  of  Fancy!  long  my  heart  has  beat 

The  servile  map  of  history  to  explore 

By  these  wild  feats  I  feel  myself  upbraided 

when 
So  mine  eyes  turned  away,  but  <then>  once  more 
They  looked,  so  much  had  disappeared  or  faded. 

See  pages  18.19. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  97 

[31] 

rampant  cloud  assumes  a  lion's  shape 
That  cloud  assumes  a  rampant  lion's  shape 

See  there  a  monstrous  crocodile  agape 

A  golden  spear  to  swallow,  and  that  brown 

massy 
And  <that>  grove  so  near  yon  blazing  town 
Stirs  and  recedes  destruction  to  escape 

See  pages  <  30  > 

18.  19.  30. 


1322 

XXXVIII    PART    I 

Black  Demons  hovering  o'er  his  mitred  head 
(When  to  the  church  the  emperor  was  led 

To  Cesars  successor 

At  Venice  looking  in)  the  Pontiff  spake 

Ere  I  absolve  thee  stoop  that  on  thy  neck 
Levelled  with  earth  this  foot  of  mine  may  tread 

Then  he  who  to  the  altar  had  been  led 
(The  mighty  word  was  scarcely  uttered 

whose  strong 
When)  He  <arms>  arms  the  orient  could  not  check 
He  who  had  held  the  Soldan  at  his  beck 
Stooped  of  his  glory  disinherited 
And  even  the  common  dignity  of  man 
Humiliating  sight  when  many  turned 

or 

In  Scorn  <and>  in  amazement;  and  some  burned 
For  counter  interdict  and  vengeful  ban 
From  outraged  nature,  but  the  sense  of  most 
In  abject  sympathy  with  power  was  lost 

See  page  2  7,. 


98  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

XIX    PART    II    [III] 

Or  if  the  intensities  of  hope  and  fear 
((O  seek  we  a  way  of  hope  and  fear 

Attract  us  still  and  passionate  exercise 
High  thoughts  and  passionate  solemnities 

Of  lofty  thoughts  that 

Of  faith  and  love  <of  >  such)  way  before  us  lies 

Distinct  with  in 

(Marked  out  by)  signs  through  which  (with)  fixed  career 

As  through  a  Zodiac  moves  the  ritual  year 
Of  England's  church — stupendous  mysteries; 
Which  whoso  travels  in  her  bosom  eyes 
As  he  approaches  them  with  solemn  cheer 
Enough  for  us  to  cast  a  transient  glance 

<The  circle  through  >  giving  up 

Through  the  dread  circle  (and  to  leave)  its  story 

For  those  whom  Heaven  has  fitted  to  advance 

chaunt 
With  harp  in  hand  and  sing  the  King  of  glory 
From  his  meek  advent  till  his  countenance 

dissipate  the 
Shall  (make  a  wreck  of)  sun  and  mountains  hoary 

The  circle  through  relinquishing  its  story 
For 

<See  pages  37  38.  55> 


l34. 
And  thus  a  structure  potent  to  enchain 
The  eye  of  wonder  rose  in  this  fair  Isle 
Not  built  with  calculations  nice  and  vain 
But  in  mysterious  nature's  boldest  style 
Not  orderly  as  some  basaltic  pile 
That  steadfastly  repels  the  fretful  main. 


See  Sonnet  XXI V^ part  I. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  99 

[35] 

XXXIV    PART    I 

The  order  of  the  Druids 

Much  are  they  blamed  who  with  mightiest  lever 
Known  to  the  moral  world,  Imagination 
l^plifted  Christendom  from  her  natural  station 
They  sweep  along  such  host  till  now  was  never 

To  rescue  from 

Arrayed  in  march  to  tear  from  the  Deceiver 

The  precious  tomb  their  haven  of  salvation 

They  sweep  along  enormous  inundation 

But  sooth  this  war  though  mixed  by  selfish  passion 

Whose  no  human 

With  base  allo[?y]  (what  thence  no)  skill  can  sever 
Even  as  a  sharp  pike  in  a  bucklers  boss 
Makes  an  efficient  portion  of  the  shield 

Which  Providence  doth  wield 

For  the  great  purpose  mainly  to  defend 
Kingdoms  and  states  whose  hope  is  in  the  cross 

See  page  39. 


XLII    PART    II 

Gunpowder  Plot 


[36] 


Fear  hath  a  hundred  eyes  that  all  agree 

To  plague  her  beating  heart,  and  there  is  one 

(Nor  idlest  that)  which  holds  communion 

With  things  that  were  not  yet  were  meant  to  be 
The  purposes  of  bafifled  destiny 

which  views 
That  eye  beholds  as  if  fulfilled  &  done 
Crimes  that  might  stop  the  motions  of  the  sun 

I  shuddering 

That  eye  in  vision  is  compelled  to  see 

England's  assembled  Senate  unredeemed 
From  subterraneous  treasons  darkling  power 
Of  that  catastrophe  accomplished — sight 
W^orse  than  the  product  of  that  dismal  night 
When  with  the  bounty  of  a  thunder  shower 
The  blood  of  Huguenots  through  Paris  streamed. 


100  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 


[37] 

XIV    PART    II 

undaunted  soaring 

You  who  upsoaring  like  the  early  lark 
Announcing  at  day  break  to  his  drowsy  mate 
You  rather  ran  the  dawn  to  antedate 
By  striking  out  a  solitary  spark 
When  all  the  world  with  midnight  gloom  was  dark 
You  whom  the  sword  of  unrelenting  hate 
In  vain  had  laboured  to  exterminate 
Cerberian  mouths  pursued  with  hideous  bark 
But  meagre  [Pmaugre]  such  fell  spite  the  sacred  fire 
From  Alpine  heights  and  dens  &  savage  woods 
Passed  handed  on  with  never  ceasing  care 
Through  camps  and  courts  and  limitary  floods 
Nor  lacks  this  sea-girt  Isle  a  welcome  share 
Of  the  pure  gift  not  suffered  to  expire 

See  pages  <33.>  38.  55. 


[38] 

XIV    PART    II 

They  who  gave  earliest  notice  as  the  lark 

Springs  from  the  ground  the  morn  to  gratulate 

Or  rather  rose  the  day  to  antedate 

By  striking  out  a  solitary  spark 

When  all  the  world  with  midnight  gloom  was  dark 

(Yet)  these  (prompt)  harbingers  of  good,  whom  bitter  hate 

In  vain  hath  laboured  to  exterminate 

Fell  obloquy  would  brand  with  hideous  mark 

*Dwellers  with  wolves  she  named  them,  for  the  pine 

And  green  oak  are  their  covert;  as  the  gloom 

Of  night  oft  foils  their  enemies  design, 

She  calls  them  Riders  on  the  flying  broom 

Sorcerers  whose  frames  and  aspects  have  become 

One  and  the  same  through  practices  malign 

See  pages  <33.>  37-  55 

*  See  the  note  on  this  sonnet  for  these  six  lines. 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  101 

[39] 

XXXIV    PART    I 

Much  are  they  blamed 

I  scorn  them  not  who  with  a  sovereign  lever 

Acting  upon  the  heart — Imagination 

Uplifted  Christendom  from  her  natural  station 

They  sweep  along  (such  host  till  now  was  never 

tear 
Arrayed  in  march)  to  rend  from  the  Deceiver 
The  precious  tomb  their  haven  of  salvation. 

A  meaner  application 
But  sooth  this  war  was  mixed  by  selfish  passion 
With  base  allo[?y]  which  no  skill  may  sever 
As  a  sharp  pike  set  on  a  bucklers  boss 
Makes  an  efficient  portion  of  the  mighty  shield 

blend 
Powers  of  annoyance,  Providence  doth  wield 
For  this  great  purpose  namely  to  defend 
Kingdoms  and  states  whose  hope  is  in  the  cross. 

See  page  35. 


[40] 

VII    PART    I 

As  when  a  storm  is  past  the  Birds  regain 
Their  cheerfulness  and  busily  retrim 
Their  nests  or  chant  a  gratulating  hymn 

bespangled 
To  the  blue  ether  and  the  glistening  plain 
So  the  survivors  of  that  storm  again 
Amid  their  reconstructed  churches,  kept 
The  holy  sacraments  which  long  had  slept 
And  solemn  ceremonials  did  ordain 
To  celebrate  their  great  deliverance 
Most  feelingly  instructed  as  some  fear 
That  persecution  and  the  wrath  extreme 

mild 
Of  blindness  under  Heavens  <high>  countenance 
Even  in  their  own  despite,  doth  feed  and  cheer 
For  all  things  are  less  dreadful  than  they  seem. 


102  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

Itinerary  Sonnet  Continent  1820 
XIII 


[41] 


Then  when  we  see  River 

When  we  behold  an  Alpine  torrent  throwing 
His  giants  body  from  a  steep  rocks  brink 
Back  in  astonishment  and  fear  we  shrink 
But  high  and  low  a  calmer  look  bestowing 

beside  the  torrent 
We  see  flowers  (on  flowers  in  clusters)  growing 
Flowers  that  peep  forth  from  many  a  cleft  &  chink 
And  from  the  whirlwind  of  her  anger  drink 
Hues  ever  fresh  while  to  their  fellows  blowing 
In  safer  regions  nature  cannot  give 
Freshness  and  life  and  motions  as  of  joy 

fearful  brink 
Sucked  from  the  perils  self,  nor  doubt  that  God 
To  whom  these  pines  in  signs  of  worship  nod 
Their  heads  while  storms  are  busy  to  destroy 

signs  of  worship 
These  humbler  (adorations)  will  receive 

To  whom  above  the  lofty  pine  trees  nod 
Their  heads  while  storms  are  busy  to  destroy 

[42] 

XXXVI    PART    II 

We  looking  calmly  from  a  specular  height 

Know  that  a  righteous  Providence 

The  adverse  combatants  the  struggle 

Alas  for  those  who  mingling  in  the  fight 

Saw  ranged  upon  the  better  side  despite 

Rapacity  and  cruelty  and  lust 

Mid  clouds  enveloped  of  polemic  dust 

Which  showers  of  blood  seemed  rather  to  incite 

to  allay 
Than  tranquillize — Anathemas  are  hurled 
From  host  to  host,  old  thunders  from  the  west 
Are  boldly  met  by  fulminations  new 

the  flag  of  is  unfurled 

Who  without  war  way  pursue 

Standards  are  abjured  are  caught  at  &  unfurled 
Friends  strike  at  friends — the  flying  shall  pursue 
And  victory  sickening  ignorant  where  to  rest. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  103 

[43] 

XXXVIII    PART    II 

Ihiil  Virgin  Queen  more  welcome  than  the  star 
Of  dawn  to  the  traveller  faint  with  toil 
Hail  sovereign  Lady  whom  a  thankful  Isle 
Shall  bless  respiring  from  that  dismal  war 
Stilled  by  thy  voice.     But  quickly  from  afar 
The  adversary  makes  a  fierce  recoil 
Tempests  with  which  the  mischief  of  the  soil 
Dreadful  alliance  claims.     Her  royal  car 
Meanwhile  by  prudence  swayed  glides  safel]^'  on 
In  silver  purity  from  menaced  taint 

Cynthia  of  the  stormy  night 
Emerging  like  the  radiant  queen  of  night 
For  where  she  moves  the  stormy  clouds  are  gone 

Disperse  or 

Or  tarrying  under  a  divine  constraint 

Reflect  some  portion  of  her  glorious  light. 

See  page  44. 

[44] 

XXXVIII    PART    II 

Hail,  Virgin  Queen!  oer  many  an  envious  bar 
Triumphant  snatched  from  many  a  treacherous  wile! 
All  hail  sage  Lady  whom  a  thankful  Isle 
Hath  blessed  respiring  from  that  dismal  war 
Stilled  by  thy  voice.     But  quickly  from  afar 
Defiance  breathes  with  more  malignant  aim, 
And  alien  storms  with  home-bred  ferments  claim 
Portentous  fellowship.     Her  silver  car 

smoothly 
Meanwhile  by  prudence  ruled  glides  safely  on 
Unhurt  by  violence,  from  menaced  taint 
Emerging,  [?  like]  the  radiant  power  of  night 
For  [?  where]  she  moves  the  gloomy  clouds  anon 
Disperse,  or  under  a  divine  constraint 
Reflect  some  portion  of  her  glorious  light. 

See  page  43. 


104  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


XL   PART    II 


[45] 


Holy  and  heavenly  spirits  that  they  were 
Spotless  in  life  and  eloquent  as  wise 
With  what  entire  affection  did  they  prize 

(That  church  and  reverence  her  with  filial  care 
•<The  newborn  church  labouring  with  filial  care 

(  Labouring  incessantly  with  filial  care 
To  bafifle  all  that  might  her  strength  impair 
That  church,  the  unperverted  Gospel's  seat; 
In  their  afflictions  a  divine  retreat; 
Source  of  their  liveliest  hope  and  tenderest  prayer. 
The  truth  exploring  with  an  equal  mind 
In  polity  and  discipline  they  sought 
Firmly  between  the  two  extremes  to  steer 

lot 
But  theirs  the  wise  mans  ordinary  <toil> 
To  trace  right  courses  for  the  stubborn  blind 
And  prophesy  to  ears  that  will  not  hear. 


[46] 
Transferred  to  Itinerary  <  Sonnets  >   1833 

XLIII 

awe 
A  weight  of  <woe>  not  easily  to  be  borne 
Fell  suddenly  upon  my  spirit  cast 
From  the  dread  bosom  of  the  unknown  past 
When  I  beheld  this  sisterhood  forlorn 
And  Her  sole  standing  amid  yellow  corn 
In  fearless  height  preeminent  and  placed 
As  if  to  overlook  the  circle  vast. 

morn 
Speak  giant  mother,  tell  it  to  the  <morn> 
While  she  dispels  the  cumbrous  shade  of  night 

a 
Let  the  moon  hear,  emerging  from  <the>  cloud 

resolved 
The  truths  disclosed  the  mystery  unbound 
When  how  and  wherefore  rose  this  wondrous  Round 
Forth  shadowing  some  have  deemed  to  mortal  sight 
The  inviolable  God  that  tames  the  proud 

See  page  47. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  105 


[47] 

awe 
A  weight  of  <woe>  not  easily  to  be  borne 

(Hath  sometimes  fallen  on  m>-  bosom  cast 

Or  to  be  shaken  of  is) 

And  loth  to  be  removed  is  sometimes  cast 

Upon  my  bosom  from  the  unknown  past 

When  I  beheld  that  sisterhood  forlorn 

With  Her  sole  standing  amid  yellow  corn 

In  fearless  height  preeminent  and  placed 

As  if  to  overlook  the  circle  vast 

Speak  giant  mother  to  the  dawning  morn! 

Let  the  moon  hear  emerging  from  <the>  a  cloud 

The  truth  disclosed  to  guide  our  steps  aright 

Or  be  at  least  the  mystery  unbound 

When,  how,  and  wherefore  rose  thy  wondrous  Round 

Forth-shadowing  (some  have  deemed)  to  mortal  sight 

The  inviolable  God  that  tames  the  proud 

See  page  46. 


[48] 

I\     PART    I 

Yes!  whether  earth  received  that  cumbrous  load 

For  midnight  pomp  of  sacrificial  fire 

For  social  exercises  of  harp  and  lyre 

Or  Rites  prelusive  to  a  crown  bestowed 

This  claims  at  least  our  reverence  that  to  God 

Antient  of  days  to  thee  eternal  Sire 

Did  Priest  and  Lawgiver  and  Bard  aspire 

As  to  the  one  sole  fount  whence  wisdom  flowed 

Wisdorn  and  Justice — Tremblingly  escaped 

As  if  with  prescience  of  the  coming  storm 

That  intimation  w^hen  the  stars  were  shaped 

Or  perished  utterly  the  primal  truth 

Till  man  had  fallen  to  mingle  with  the  worm 

And  heaven  was  filled  with  unavailing  ruth 


106  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


[49] 


XXXV   PART    III 

I  thought  of  Luxury  and  greedy  sway 
And  pride  deserving  chastisement  severe, 
But  stillness,  ruin,  beauty,  all  things  here 
Dispose  to  judgments  temperate  as  we  lay 
On  our  past  selves  in  lifes  declining  day 
For  as  by  discipline  of  time  made  wise 
We  learn  to  tolerate  the  infirmities 
And  faults  of  others,  gently  as  he  may 
Towards  our  own  the  mild  Instructor  deals 
Teaching  us  to  forget  them  or  forgive. 
Why  then  be  curious  here  for  hidden  ill 
Perversely  breaking  charitable  seals? 
The  spot  was  holy  once,  is  holy  still 
Its  spirit  freely  let  me  drink  and  live. 


<See  page  50  > 


[50] 


XXXV    PART    II 


Here  flame  ward  stretching  his  upbraided  hand 
O  God  of  mercy  may  no  earthly  seat 
Of  judgment  such  presumptuous  doom  repeat  ^ 
Here  for  the  final  test  did  Cranmer  stand 
Firm  as  the  stake  to  which  with  iron  band 
His  frame  was  tied,  firm  from  the  naked  feet 
To  the  bare  head,  the  victory  complete 
His  shrouded  body  to  the  souls  command 
Answering  with  more  than  Indian  fortitude 
Through  all  her  nerves  with  finer  sense  endued 
While  him 

<With>  flames  enshroud  A  and  black  smoke  embowered 
Till  self  reproach  and  parting  aspiration 
Were  with  the  heart  that  held  them  all  devoured 
The  spirit  set  free  and  crowned  with  blissful  acclamation. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  107 

[51] 
XLIII    [XLIV]   PART    III 

Kings  Coll.  Chapel. 

What  awful  perspective  while  from  our  sight 
Their  portraitures  the  lateral  windows  hide 
Glimmers  the  corresponding  stone  work  dyed 
With  the  soft  chequerings  of  a  sleepy  light 
Martyr  or  king  or  sainted  eremite 

are 
Whoe'er  ye  be  that  thus  yourselves  unseen 
Imbue  your  prison  bars  with  solemn  sheen 

on  until  ye  fade 
Shine  (till  your  lustre  fades)  with  coming  night 
But  from  the  arms  of  silence  list!  oh  list! 
The  music  bursteth  into  second  life 
And  every  stone  throughout  the  Pile  is  kissed 
By  the  delicious  notes  in  mazy  strife 
(The  storm  hath  ceased  the  harmony  is  gone 
And  now  the  sad  sad  heart  is  left  alone) 
(Where  <  to  >  now  the  thrilling  harmony,  tis  gone 
And  the  lost  notes  of  lively  rapture  fiown) 
(Of  lively  rapture  or  with  softer  flight 
Fondly  relayed  in  mazes  infinite) 
That  thrills  the  heart  and  casts  before  the  eye 
Of  the  devout  a  veil  of  ecstasy! 


Miscellaneous  Part  III!  [Ill] 


[52] 


VII 

Where  holy  ground  begins — unhallowed  ends 
Is  marked  by  no  distinguishable  line 
The  turf  unites — the  Pathways  intertwine 
And  wheresoe'er  the  stealing  footstep  tends 
Garden  and  that  domain  where  Kindred  Friends 

confound 
And  neighbours  rest  together,  here  < confound  > 
Their  several  features,  mingled  like  the  sound 
Of  many  waters,  or  as  evening  blends 
With  shady  night — soft  airs  from  shrub  and  flower 
Waft  fragrant  greetings  to  each  silent  grave 
And  ever  as  those  lofty  poplars  wave 
Their  parting  summits  open  out  a  sky 
Bright  as  the  glimpses  of  eternity 
To  saints  accorded  in  their  mortal  hour. 


108  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


XLI   PART  III 


[53] 


The  encircling  ground  in  natural  turf  arrayed 

Is  now  by  solemn  consecration  given 

To  social  interests  and  to  favouring  Heaven 

Hence  forth  where  ragged  Colts  their  gambols  played 

And  wild  deer  bounded  through  the  forest  glade 

Unchecked  as  erst  by  merry  Outlaw  driven 

Shall  pious  hymns  resound  at  morn  and  even 

full  soon  the  lonely  sextons  spade 
And  soon  (the  sexton  shall  apply  his  spade) 

Shall  wound 

Wounding  the  tender  sod.     Encincture  small! 

But  infinite  its  grasp  of  joy  and  woe 
Hopes  fears  in  never  resting  ebb  and  flow 
The  spousal  trembling — and  the  "dust  to  dust" 
The  prayers — the  contrite  struggle  and  the  trust 
That  to  the  Almighty  Father  looks  through  all. 


[54] 

XXXIV    PART    III 

to  high 
From  (high  to)  low  doth  dissolution  climb 
And  sinks  from  high  to  low  along  a  scale 

awful 
Of  things  (by  laws)  whose  concord  shall  not  fail; 
A  musical  but  melancholy  chime 
Which  they  can  hear  who  meddle  not  with  crime 
Nor  avarice  nor  over  anxious  care. 

Truth  fades  not,  but  the  forms  of  thought 
(The  pomps  and  vanities  of  earth)  that  bear 

The  longest  date  shall  melt  like  frosty  rime 
That  in  the  morning  whitened  hill  and  plain 
And  is  no  more,  drop  like  the  tower  sublime 
Of  yesterday,  which  royally  did  wear 
Its  crown  of  weeds,  but  could  not  even  sustain 
Some  casual  shout  that  broke  the  silent  air 
Or  the  unimaginable  touch  of  time 

Truth  wastes  not 

In  [?]  Mrs.  Wordsworth  handwriting. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  109 

[55] 

XIV    PART    II 

Who  but  is  pleased  to  note  the  birds  of  spring 
'Twere  monstrous  to  dislike  the  birds  of  spring 

And  the  green  grass  recovering  on  the  lawn 

Monstrous  it  were  to  loathe  the  birds  of  spring 
Or  the  new  moon  or  sparkling  eye  of  dawn 
And  flowers  forth  peeping  on  the  dewy  lawn 

Who  scowls  upon  the  sparkling  eye  of  dawn 
Or  crescent  moon  as  on  a  hated  thing 
Or  give  the  sun  a  churlish  welcoming 

loathe 
Yet  Truth  we  hate  through  man  the  signs  that  bring 
Our  visual  expectation  worthier  far 

brightest 
Though  of  more  virtue  than  the  morning  star 
That  walks  the  sky — her  presence  gives  a  sting 
To  millions — But  heaven  guards  the  sacred  fire 
Which  renovated  thus,  from  savage  wood  [?s] 
Through  courts  through  camps,  oer  limitary  floods 
Nor  lacked  this  sea-girt  Isle  a  timely  share 
Of  the  new  flame  not  suffered  to  expire. 

See  pages  37.  38. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


112 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


TABLE   OF    CONTENTS 

Part  i 

From  the  Introduction  of  Christianity  into  Britain  to 
THE  Consummation  of  the  Papal  Dominion 


Composed 

Introduction 1821 

Conjectures 1821 

Trepidation  of  the  Druids 1821 

Druidical  Excommunication 1821 

Uncertainty 1821 

Persecution 1821 

Recovery 1 82 1 

8  Temptations  from  Roman  Refine- 

ments    1 82 1 

9  Dissensions 1821 

10  Struggle  of  the  Britons  against  the 

Barbarians 1821 

1 1  Saxon  Conquest 1821 

12  Monastery  of  Old  Bangor 1821 

13  Casual  Incitement 1821 

14  Glad  Tidings 1821 

Paulinus 1821 

Persuasion 1821 

Conversion 1821 

Apology 1 82 1 

Primitive  Saxon  Clergy 1821 

20  Other  Influences 1821 

21  Seclusion 1821 

Continued 1821 

Reproof 1821 

24  Saxon  Monasteries,  and  Lights  and 

Shades  of  the  Religion 1821 

25  Missions  and  Travels 1821 

26  Alfred 1821 

27  His  Descendants 1821 


15 
16 

18 
19 


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23 


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OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH 


113 


Composed 

28  Influence  Abused 1821  . 

29  Danish  Conquests 1821  . 

30  Canute 1 82 1  . 

31  The  Norman  Conquest 1821  . 

32  Coldly    we    spake.     The    Saxons, 

overpowered ?i836  . 

33  The  Council  of  Clermont 1821  . 

34  Crusades 1821  . 

35  Richard  I 1821  . 

36  An  Interdict 1821  . 

37  Papal  Abuses 1821  . 

38  Scene  in  Venice 1821  . 

39  Papal  Dominion 1821  . 


Published 
1822 
1822 
1822 
1822 

1837 
1822 
1822 
1822 
1822 
1822 
1822 
1822 


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139 


10 

II 
12 

13 


Part  2 

To  THE  Close  of  the  Troubles  ix  the 
Reign  of  Charles  I 

Composed  Published  Page 

How  soon — alas  I  did  Man,  created 

pure ?       1845    139 

From   false   assumption   rose,   and 

fondly  hailed ?i842    ....    1845    ....    140 

Cistertian  Monastery 1821    ....    1822    ....    140 

Deplorable    his    lot    who    tills    the 

ground ?       1835    141 

Monks  and  Schoolmen 1821    ....    1822    ....    141 

Other  Benefits 1821    ....    1822    ....    142 

Continued 1821    ....    1822    ....    142 

Crusaders 1821    ....    1822    ....    143 

As  faith  thus  sanctified  the  war- 
rior's crest ?i842    ....    1845    •  •  •  •    ^43 

Where  long  and  deeply  hath  been 

fixed  the  root ?       ....    1845    •  •  •  •    ^44 

Transubstantiation 1821    ....    1822    ....    144 

The  Vaudois ?       ....    1835    •  •  •  •    ^45 

Praised  be  the  Rivers,  from  their 

mountain  springs ?       ....    1835    •  •  •  •    ^45 

9 


114 


THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


14 

15 
16 

17 
18 

19 

20 

21 
22 

23 
24 

25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 

33 
34 
35 
36 

37 
38 

39 
40 

41 
42 
43 


44 

45 
46 


Composed 

Waldenses 1821    . 

Archbishop  Chicheley  to  Henry  V.  1821    . 

Wars  of  York  and  Lancaster 1821    . 

Wicliffe 1821    . 

Corruptions  of  the  Higher  Clergy.  1821    . 

Abuse  of  Monastic  Power 1821    . 

Monastic  Voluptuousness 1821    . 

Dissolution  of  the  Monasteries 1821    . 

The  Same  Subject 1821    . 

Continued 182 1    . 

Saints 182 1    . 

The  Virgin 1821    . 

Apology 182 1    . 

Imaginative  Regrets 1821    . 

Reflections 1821    . 

Translation  of  the  Bible 1821    . 

The  Point  at  Issue ? 

Edward  VI 1821    . 

Edward  Signing  the  Warrant  for 

the  Execution  of  Joan  of  Kent.  1821    . 

Revival  of  Popery ? 

Latimer  and  Ridley ? 

Cranmer 1821    . 

General  View  of  the  Troubles  of 

the  Reformation 1821    . 

English  Reformers  in  Exile 1821    . 

Elizabeth 1821    . 

Eminent  Reformers 1821    . 

The  Same 182 1    . 

Distractions 1821    . 

Gunpowder  Plot 1821    . 

Illustration:  The    Jung-Frau    and 

the     Fall     of     the     Rhine     near 

Schaffhausen 182 1    . 

Troubles  of  Charles  the  First 1821 

Laud 1821 

Afflictions  of  England 1821    . 


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OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH 


115 


Part  3 
From  the  Restoration  to  the  Present  Tlmes 


Composed         Published  Page 

I  saw  the  figure  of  a  lovely  Maid  .  1821    ....    1822    ....    162 

Patriotic  Sympathies 1821    ....    1822 

Charles  the  Second 1821    ....    1822 

Latitudinarianism 1821    ....    1822 

Walton's  Book  of  Lives 1821    ....    1822 

Clerical  Integrity 1821    ....    1822 

Persecution  of  the  Scottish  Cove- 
nanters   ? 

Acquittal  of  the  Bishops 1821 

William  the  Third 1821 

Obligations   of    Civil    to    Religious 

Liberty 1821 

Sacheverel ? 

Down  a  swift  Stream,  thus  far,  a 

bold  design 1821 

Aspects  of  Christianity  in  America 

L  The  Pilgrim  Fathers 1842 

II.  Continued 1842 

III.  Concluded:     American    Epis- 
copacy   1842 

Bishops  and  Priests,  blessed  are- ye, 
if   deep 1842-3' 

Places  of  W^orship 1821 

Pastoral  Character 1821 

The  Liturgy 1821 

Baptism ? 

Sponsors ?  ^ 

Catechising 1821 

Confirmation •    ? 

Confirmation  Continued ? 

Sacrament .  . .  .• ? 

^  Mem.  Tour  Cont.  1820;  first  published  with  Eccl 

2  Between  September  4,  1842,  and  March  2'j,  1843. 

3  Knight  iP.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.91):   'This  sonnet  was  sent  by  Words- 
worth in  holograph  MS.  to  Orton  Hall  .  .  .  dated  Dec.  7,  1827.' 


8 
9 

10 

II 
12 


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15 

16 

17 

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25 


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18221 

1842 
1842 

1842 

1845 
1822 
1822 
1822. 
1827 
1832 
1822 
1827 
1827 
1827 
Sketches  in  1827. 


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I  :> 
12> 
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116 


THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


Composed 

26  The  Marriage  Ceremony 1842^ 

27  Thanksgiving  after  Childbirth.  .  .  .    1842^ 

28  Visitation  of  the  Sick 1842^ 

29  The  Commination  Service 1842-3^ 

30  Forms  of  Prayer  at  Sea 1842-3^ 

31  Funeral  Service 1842^ 

32  Rural  Ceremony 1821 

33  Regrets 1821 

34  Mutability 1821 

35  Old  Abbeys 182 1 

36  Emigrant  French  Clergy ? 

37  Congratulation 1821 

38  New  Churches 1821 

39  Church  to  be  Erected 1821 

40  Continued 182 1 

41  New  Church-yard 1821 

42  Cathedrals,  &c 1821 

43  Inside   of   King's   College   Chapel, 

Cambridge 1821 

44  The  Same 1 820-1 

45  Continued 1821 

46  Ejaculation 1821 

47  Conclusion 1821 

^  A  few  days  before  September  4. 

2  Between  September  4,  1842,  and  March  27,  1843. 


d     Published 

Page 

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OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  117 


[ADVERTISEMENT   OF    1822] 

During  the  month  of  December,  1820,  I  accompanied  a  much- 
loved^  and  honoured  Friend  in  a  walk  through  different  parts  of 
his  Estate,  with  a  view  to  fix  upon  the  Site  of  a  New  Church  which 
he  intended  to  erect.  It  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  mornings 
of  a  mild  season — our  feelings  were  in  harmony  with  the  cherishing 
influences  of  the  scene;  and  such  being  our  purpose,  we  were 
naturally  led  to  look  back  upon  past  events  with  wonder  and 
gratitude,  and  on  the  future  with  hope.  '  Not  long  afterwards,  some 
of  the  Sonnets  which  will  be  found  towards  the  close  of  this  Series 
were  produced  as  a  private  memorial  of  that  morning's  occupation. 

The  Catholic  Question,  which  was  agitated  in  Parliament  about 
that  time,  kept  my  thoughts  in  the  same  course;  and  it  struck  me 
that  certain  points  in  the  Ecclesiastical  Histor\-  of  our  Country 
might  advantageously  be  presented  to  view  in  Verse.^  Accordingly, 
I  took  up  the  subject,  and  what  I  now  ofifer  to  the  Reader  was 
the  result. 

When  this  work  was  far  advanced,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  to 
find  that  my  Friend,  Mr.  Southey,  was  engaged^  with  similar 
views  in  writing  a  concise  History  of  the  Church  in  England.  If 
our  Productions,  thus  unintentionally  coinciding,  shall  be  found  to 
illustrate  each  other,  it  will  prove  a  high  gratification  to  me,  which 

I  am  sure  my  Friend  will  participate. 

W.  Wordsworth, 
Rydal  Mount, 
January  24,  1822. 

^  In  the  text  of  1850,  *  much-beloved.' 

2  Cf.  Fenwick  note,  1843:  'My  purpose  in  writing  this  series  was,  as 
much  as  possible,  to  confine  my  view  to  the  introduction,  progress,  and 
operation  of  the  Church  in  England,  both  previous  and  subsequent  to 
the  Reformation.' 

3  In  the  text  of  1850,  *  had  been  engaged.' 


118  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SOxNNETS 


[NOTE    OF    1827] 

For  the  convenience  of  passing  from  one  point  of  the  subject  to 
another  without  shocks  of  abruptness,  this  work  has  taken  the 
shape  of  a  series  of  Sonnets;  but  the  Reader,  it  is  hoped, ^  will  find 
that  the  pictures  are  often  so  closely  connected  as  to  have  the 
effect  of  a  poem^  in  a  form  of  stanza  to  which  there  is  no 
objection  but  one  that  bears  upon  the  Poet  only  — its  difficulty. 

Mn  the  text  of  1850,  'it  is  to  be  hoped.' 

2  In  the  text  of  1850,  'as  to  have  jointly  the  effect  of  passages  of  a 
poem.' 


TEXT  OF   1850 


A  verse  may  catch  a  wandering  Soul,  that  flies 
Profounder  Tracts,  and  by  a  blest  surprise 
Convert  delight  into  a  Sacrifice. 

[Adapted    from  George  Herbert's  The  Temple:   The 
Church  Porch,  stanza  i.] 


120  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

Part  i 

From  the  Introduction  of  Christianity  into  Britain  to 
THE  Consummation  of  the  Papal  Dominion 

I.I 

introduction 

I,  WHO  accompanied  with  faithful  pace 

Cerulean  Duddon  from  its  cloud-fed  spring, 

And  loved  with  spirit  ruled  by  his  to  sing 

Of  mountain-quiet  and  boon  nature's  grace; 

I,  who  essayed  the  nobler  Stream  to  trace  5 

Of  Liberty,  arid  smote  the  plausive  string 

Till  the  checked  torrent,  proudly  triumphing, 

Won  for  herself  a  lasting  resting-place; 

Now  seek  upon  the  heights  of  Time  the  source 

Of  a  Holy  River,  on  whose  banks  are  found  .  lO 

Sweet  pastoral  flowers,  and  laurels  that  have  crowned 

Full  oft  the  unworthy  brow  of  lawless  force; 

And,  for  delight  of  him  who  tracks  its  course,  ^ 

Immortal  amaranth  and  palms  abound. 

1.2 

conjectures 

If  there  be  prophets  on  whose  spirits  rest 

Past  things,  revealed  like  future,  they  can  tell 

What  Powers,  presiding  o'er  the  sacred  well 

Of  Christian  Faith,  this  savage  Island  blessed 

With  its  first  bounty.     Wandering  through  the  west,  5 

Did  holy  Paul  a  while  in  Britain  dwell, 

And  call  the  Fountain  forth  by  miracle. 

And  with  dread  signs  the  nascent  Stream  invest? 

Or  He,  whose  bonds  dropped  off,  whose  prison  doors    C 

Flew  open,  by  an  Angel's  voice  unbarred?  ^         10 

Or  some  of  humbler  name,  to  these  wild  shores  ^ 

Storm-driven;  who,  having  seen  the  cup  of  woe  y 

Pass  from  their  Master,  sojourned  here  to  guard  ^ 

The  precious  Current  they  had  taught  to  flow? 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  121 


1-3 

TREPIDATION    OF    THE    DRUIDS 

Screams  round  the  Arch-druid's  brow  the  sea-mew — white 

As  Menai's  foam;  and  toward  the  mystic  ring 

Where  Augurs  stand,  the  Future  questioning, 

Slowly  the  cormorant  aims  her  heavy  flight, 

Portending  ruin  to  each  baleful  rite,  5 

That,  in  the  lapse  of  ages,  hath  crept  o'er 

Diluvian  truths,  and  patriarchal  lore. 

Haughty  the  Bard:  can  these  meek  doctrines  blight 

His  transports?  wither  his  heroic  strains?  C 

But  all  shall  be  fulfilled; — the  Julian  spear  \     10 

A  way  first  opened;  and,  with  Roman  chains,  r 

The  tidings  come  of  Jesus  crucified;  p 

They  come — they  spread — the  weak,  the  sufTering,  hear;T 

Receive  the  faith,  and  in  the  hope  abide.  ^ 


1.4 

DRUIDICAL    EXCOMMUNICATION 

Mercy  and  Love  have  met  thee  on  thy  road, 

Thou  wretched  Outcast,  from  the  gift  of  fire 

And  food  cut  off  by  sacerdotal  ire. 

From  every  sympathy  that  Man  bestowed! 

Yet  shall  it  claim  our  reverence,  that  to  God,  -  5 

Ancient  of  days!  that  to  the  eternal  Sire, 

These  jealous  Ministers  of  law  aspire, 

As  to  the  one  sole  fount  whence  wisdom  flowed. 

Justice,  and  order.     Tremblingly  escaped, 

As  if  with  prescience  of  the  coming  storm,  lO 

That  intimation  when  the  stars  were  shaped; 

And  still,  'mid  yon  thick  woods,  the  primal  truthjt^ 

Glimmers  through  many  a  superstitious  form 

That  fills  the  Soul  with  unavailing  ruth. 


122  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


1.5 

UNCERTAINTY 

Darkness  surrounds  us;  seeking,  we  are  lost 

On  Snowdon's  wilds,  amid  Brigantian  coves, 

Or  where  the  solitary  shepherd  roves 

Along  the  plain  of  Sarum,  by  the  ghost 

Of  Time  and  shadows  of  Tradition,  crost;  5 

And  where  the  boatman  of  the  Western  Isles 

Slackens  his  course — to  mark  those  holy  piles 

Which  yet  survive  on  bleak  lona's  coast. 

Nor  these,  nor  monuments  of  eldest  name,  C 

Nor  Taliesin's  unforgotten  lays,  "  10 

Nor  characters  of  Greek  or  Roman  fame. 

To  an  unquestionable  Source  have  led;  % 

Enough — if  eyes,  that  sought  the  fountain-head     ^ 

In  vain,  upon  the  growing  Rill  may  gaze.  I 


1.6 

PERSECUTION 

Lament!  for  Diocletian's  fiery  sword 

Works  busy  as  the  lightning;  but  instinct 

With  malice  ne'er  to  deadliest  weapon  linked. 

Which  God's  ethereal  storehouses  afford: 

Against  the  Followers  of  the  incarnate  Lord  5 

It  rages; — some  are  smitten  in  the  field — 

Some  pierced  to  the  heart  through  the  ineffectual  shield 

Of  sacred  home; — with  pomp  are  others  gored 

And  dreadful  respite.     Thus  was  Alban  tried, 

England's  first  Martyr,  whom  no  threats  could  shake;  10 

Self-offered  victim,  for  his  friend  he  died. 

And  for  the  faith;  nor  shall  his  name  forsake 

That  Hill,  whose  flowery  platform  seems  to  rise 

By  Nature  decked  for  holiest  sacrifice. 


OF   VVILLIAiM    WORDSWORTH  123 


RECOVERY 

As,  when  a  storm  hath  ceased,  the  birds  regain 

Their  cheerfulness,  and  busily  retrim 

Their  nests,  or  chant  a  gratulating  hymn 

To  the  blue  ether  and  bespangled  plain: 

Even  so,  in  many  a  re-constructed  fane,  5 

Have  the  survivors  of  this  Storm  renewed 

Their  holy  rites  with  vocal  gratitude: 

And  solemn  ceremonials  they  ordain 

To  celebrate  their  great  deliverance; 

Most  feelingly  instructed  'mid  their  fear —  10 

That  persecution,  blind  with  rage  extreme, 

May  not  the  less,  through  Heaven's  mild  countenance, 

Even  in  her  own  despite,  both  feed  and  cheer; 

For  all  things  are  less  dreadful  than  they  seem. 


TEMPTATIONS    FROM    ROMAN    REFINEMENTS 

Watch,  and  be  firm!  for,  soul-subduing  vice. 

Heart-killing  luxury,  on  your  steps  await. 

Fair  houses,  baths,  and  banquets  delicate, 

And  temples  flashing,  bright  as  polar  ice. 

Their  radiance  through  the  woods — may  yet  sufifice  5 

To  sap  your  hardy  virtue,  and  abate 

Your  love  of  Him  upon  whose  forehead  sate 

The  crown  of  thorns;  whose  life-blood  flowed,  the  price 

Of  your  redemption.     Shun  the  insidious  arts 

That  Rome  provides,  less  dreading  from  her  frown  10 

Than  from  her  wily  praise,  her  peaceful  gown. 

Language,  and  letters; — these,  though  fondly  viewed 

As  humanising  graces,  are  but  parts 

And  instruments  of  deadliest  servitude! 


124  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


1.9 

DISSENSIONS 

That  heresies  should  strike  (if  truth  be  scanned    ^ 

Presumptuously)  their  roots  both  wide  and  deep,V 

Is  natural  as  dreams  to  feverish  sleep. 

Lo!  Discord  at  the  altar  dares  to  stand 

Uplifting  toward  high  Heaven  her  fiery  brand,  5 

A  cherished  Priestess  of  the  new-baptized ! 

But  chastisement  shall  follow  peace  despised.  ^ 

The  Pictish  cloud  darkens  the  enervate  land 

By  Rome  abandoned;  vain  are  suppliant  cries, 

And  prayers  that  would  undo  her  forced  farewell;  la 

For  she  returns  not. — Awed  by  her  own  knell. 

She  casts  the  Britons  upon  strange  Allies, 

Soon  to  become  more  dreaded  enemies    ^ 

Than  heartless  misery  called  them  to  repel. 


1. 10 

STRUGGLE    OF   THE    BRITONS    AGAINST    THE    BARBARIANS 

Rise! — they  have  risen:  of  brave  Aneurin  ask 

How  they  have  scourged  old  foes,  perfidious  friends: 

The  Spirit  of  Caractacus  descends 

Upon  the  Patriots,  animates  their  task; — 

Amazement  runs  before  the  towering  casque  5 

Of  Arthur,  bearing  through  the  stormy  field 

The  virgin  sculptured  on  his  Christian  shield: — 

Stretched  in  the  sunny  light  of  victory  bask 

The  Host  that  followed  Urien  as  he  strode 

O'er  heaps  of  slain; — from  Cambrian  wood  and  moss  10 

Druids  descend,  auxiliars  of  the  Cross; 

Bards,  nursed  on  blue  Plinlimmon's  still  abode. 

Rush  on  the  fight,  to  harps  preferring  swords, 

And  everlasting  deeds  to  burning  words! 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  125 


I. II 


SAXON    CONQUEST 

Nor  wants  the  cause  the  panic-striking  aid 

Of  hallelujahs  tost  from  hill  to  hill — 

For  instant  victory.     But  Heaven's  high  will 

Permits  a  second  and  a  darker  shade 

Of  Pagan  night.     Afflicted  and  dismayed,  5 

The  Relics  of  the  sword  flee  to  the  mountains: 

O  wretched  Land!  whose  tears  have  flowed  like  fountains; 

Whose  arts  and  honours  in  the  dust  are  laid 

By  men  yet  scarcely  conscious  of  a  care  : 

For  other  monuments  than  those  of  Earth;  ^      10 

W^ho,  as  the  fields  and  woods  have  given  them  birth.       ^ 

Will  build  their  savage  fortunes  only  there;  - 

Content,  if  foss,  and  barrow,  and  the  girth  d 

Of  long-drawn  rampart,  witness  what  they  were.  C 


f 

^  Z.L  K  [tT^y/  1. 12 

monastery   of   old    BANGOR 

The  oppression  of  the  tumult — ivrath  and  scorn — 

The  tribulation — and  the  gleaming  blades —  , 

Such  is  the  impetuous  spirit  that  pervades 

The  song  of  Taliesin; — Ours  shall  mourn 

The  unarmed  Host  who  by  their  prayers  would  turn  5 

The  sword  from  Bangor's  walls,  and  guard  the  store 

Of  Aboriginal  and  Roman  lore, 

And  Christian  monuments,  that  now  must  burn 

To  senseless  ashes.     Mark!  how  all  things  swerve    .' 

From  their  known  course,  or  vanish  like  a  dream;    j  lO 

Another  language  spreads  from  coast  to  coast; 

Only  perchance  some  melancholy  Stream 

And  some  indignant  Hills  old  names  preserve, 

When  laws,  and  creeds,  and  people  all  are  lost! 


126  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

CASUAL    INCITEMENT 

A  BRIGHT-HAIRED  Company  of  youthful  slaves,         1 

Beautiful  strangers,  stand  within  the  pale  b 

Of  a  sad  market,  ranged  for  public  sale,  [ 

Where  Tiber's  stream  the  immortal  City  laves: 

Angli  by  name;  and  not  an  Angel  waves  5 

His  wing  who  could  seem  lovelier  to  man's  eye 

Than  they  appear  to  holy  Gregory; 

Who,  having  learnt  that  name,  salvation  craves 

For  Them,  and  for  their  Land.     The  earnest  Sire,    ^'. 

His  questions  urging,  feels,  in  slender  ties  :l  lO 

Of  chiming  sound,  commanding  sympathies;  \ 

De-irians — he  would  save  them  from  God's  Ire;      c 

Subjects  of  Saxon  ^^lla — they  shall  sing  C 

Glad  HALLE-lujahs  to  the  eternal  King!  C 


1. 14 

GLAD    TIDINGS 

For  ever  hallowed  be  this  morning  fair, 

Blest  be  the  unconscious  shore  on  which  ye  tread, 

And  blest  the  silver  Cross,  which  ye,  instead 

Of  martial  banner,  in  procession  bear; 

The  Cross  preceding  Him  who  floats  in  air,  5 

The  pictured  Saviour! — By  Augustin  led, 

They  come — and  onward  travel  without  dread, 

Chanting  in  barbarous  ears  a  tuneful  prayer — 

Sung  for  themselves,  and  those  whom  they  would  free! 

Rich  conquest  waits  them: — the  tempestuous  sea  10 

Of  Ignorance,  that  ran  so  rough  and  high 

And  heeded  not  the  voice  of  clashing  swords. 

These  good  men  humble  by  a  few  bare  words. 

And  calm  with  fear  of  God's  divinity. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  127 

I- 1  5 

PAULINUS 

But,  to  remote  Northumbria's  royal  Hall, 

Where  thoughtful  Edwin,  tutored  in  the  school 

Of  sorrow,  still  maintains  a  heathen  rule, 

IVJio  comes  with  functions  apostolical? 

Mark  him,  of  shoulders  curved,  and  stature  tall,  5 

Black  hair,  and  vivid  eye,  and  meagre  cheek, 

His  prominent  feature  like  an  eagle's  beak; 

A  Man  whose  aspect  doth  at  once  appal 

And  strike  with  reverence.     The  Monarch  leans 

Toward  the  pure  truths  this  Delegate  propounds,  10 

Repeatedly  his  own  deep  mind  he  sounds 

With  careful  hesitation, — then  convenes 

A  synod  of  his  Councillors: — give  ear, 

And  what  a  pensive  Sage  doth  utter,  hear! 


1. 16 

PERSUASION 

'Man's  life  is  like  a  Sparrow,  mighty  King! 

That — while  at  banquet  with  your  Chiefs  you  sit 

Housed  near  a  blazing  fire — is  seen  to  flit 

Safe  from  the  wintry  tempest.     Fluttering, 

Here  did  it  enter;  there,  on  hasty  wing,  5 

Flies  out,  and  passes  on  from  cold  to  cold; 

But  whence  it  came  we  know  not,  nor  behold 

W^hither  it  goes.     Even  such,  that  transient  Thing, 

The  human  Soul;  not  utterly  unknown  ^ 

While  in  the  Body  lodged,  her  warm  abode;  J  10 

But  from  what  world  She  came,  what  woe  or  weal       ^ 

On  her  departure  waits,  no  tongue  hath  shown;  C. 

This  mystery  if  the  Stranger  can  reveal,  (^ 

His  be  a  welcome  cordially  bestowed!  '  ^ 


128  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


1. 17 

CONVERSION 

Prompt  transformation  works  the  novel  Lore; 

The  Council  closed,  the  Priest  in  full  career 

Rides  forth,  an  armed  man,  and  hurls  a  spear 

To  desecrate  the  Fane  which  heretofore 

He  served  in  folly.     Woden  falls,  and  Thor  5 

Ig  overturned;  the  mace,  in  battle  heaved 

(So  might  they  dream)  till  victory  was  achieved, 

Drops,  and  the  God  himself  is  seen  no  more. 

Temple  and  Altar  sink,  to  hide  their  shame 

Amid  oblivious  weeds.     '0  come  to  me,  10 

Ye  heavy  laden!'  such  the  inviting  voice 

Heard  near  fresh  streams;  and  thousands,  who  rejoice 

In  the  new  Rite — the  pledge  of  sanctity, 

Shall,  by  regenerate  life,  the  promise  claim. 


1. 18 

apology 
Nor  scorn  the  aid  which  Fancy  oft  doth  lend 
The  Soul's  eternal  interests  to  promote: 
Death,  darkness,  danger,  are  our  natural  lot; 
And  evil  Spirits  may  our  walk  attend 

For  aught  the  wisest  know  or  comprehend;  5 

Then  be  good  Spirits  free  to  breathe  a  note 
Of  elevation;  let  their  odours  float 
Around  these  Converts;  and  their  glories  blend, 
The  midnight  stars  outshining,  or  the  blaze 
Of  the  noon-day.     Nor  doubt  that  golden  cords  10 

Of  good  works,  mingling  with  the  visions,  raise 
The  Soul  to  purer  worlds:  and  who  the  line 
Shall  draw,  the  limits  of  the  power  define. 
That  even  imperfect  faith  to  man  afi"ords? 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  129 

I.UJ 
PRIMITIVE    SAXON    CLERGY 

How  beautiful  your  presence,  how  benign, 

Servants  of  God!  who  not  a  thought  will  share 

With  the  vain  world;  who,  outwardly  as  bare 

As  winter  trees,  yield  no  fallacious  sign 

That  the  firm  soul  is  clothed  with  fruit  divine!  5 

Such  Priest,  when  service  worthy  of  his  care 

Has  called  him  forth  to  breathe  the  common  air. 

Might  seem  a  saintly  Image  from  its  shrine 

Descended: — happy  are  the  eyes  that  meet 

The  Apparition;  evil  thoughts  are  stayed  10 

At  his  approach,  and  low-bowed  necks  entreat 

A  benediction  from  his  voice  or  hand; 

Whence  grace,  through  which  the  heart  can  understand. 

And  vows,  that  bind  the  will,  in  silence  made. 


1.20 

OTHER    INFLUENCES 

Ah,  when  the  Body,  round  which  in  love  we  clung. 

Is  chilled  by  death,  does  mutual  service  fail? 

Is  tender  pity  then  of  no  avail? 

Are  intercessions  of  the  fervent  tongue 

A  waste  of  hope? — From  this  sad  source  have  sprung  5 

Rites  that  console  the  Spirit,  under  grief 

Which  ill  can  brook  more  rational  relief: 

Hence,  prayers  are  shaped  amiss,  and  dirges  sung 

For  Souls  whose  doom  is  fixed !     The  way  is  smooth 

For  Power  that  travels  with  the  human  heart:  10 

Confession  ministers  the  pang  to  soothe 

In  him  who  at  the  ghost  of  guilt  doth  start. 

Ye  holy  Men,  so  earnest  in  your  care. 

Of  your  own  mighty  instruments  beware! 


10 


130  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1. 21 
SECLUSION 

Lance,  shield,  and  sword  relinquished — at  his  side 

A  bead-roll,  in  his  hand  a  clasped  book. 

Or  staff  more  harmless  than  a  shepherd's  crook, 

The  war-worn  Chieftain  quits  the  world — to  hide 

His  thin  autumnal  locks  where  Monks  abide  5 

In  cloistered  privacy.     But  not  to  dwell 

In  soft  repose  he  comes.     Within  his  cell, 

Round  the  decaying  trunk  of  human  pride, 

At  morn,  and  eve,  and  midnight's  silent  hour, 

Do  penitential  cogitations  cling;  lO 

Like  ivy,  round  some  ancient  elm,  they  twine 

In  grisly  folds  and  strictures  serpentine; 

Yet,  while  they  strangle,  a  fair  growth  they  bring, 

For  recompense — their  own  perennial  bower. 


1.22 
CONTINUED 

Methinks  that  to  some  vacant  hermitage 

My  feet  would  rather  turn — to  some  dry  nook 

Scooped  out  of  living  rock,  and  near  a  brook 

Hurled  down  a  mountain-cove  from  stage  to  stage, 

Yet  tempering,  for  my  sight,  its  bustling  rage  5 

In  the  soft  heaven  of  a  translucent  pool; 

Thence  creeping  under  sylvan  arches  cool. 

Fit  haunt  of  shapes  whose  glorious  equipage 

Would  elevate  my  dreams.     A  beechen  bowl, 

A  maple  dish,  my  furniture  should  be;  10 

Crisp,  yellow  leaves  my  bed;  the  hooting  owl 

My  night-watch:  nor  should  e'er  the  crested  fowl 

From  thorp  or  vill  his  matins  sound  for  me. 

Tired  of  the  world  and  all  its  industry. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  131 

REPROOF 

But  what  if  One,  through  grove  or  flowery  mead, 

Indulging  thus  at  will  the  creeping  feet 

Of  a  voluptuous  indolence,  should  meet 

Thy  hovering  Shade,  O  venerable  Bede! 

The  saint,  the  scholar,  from  a  circle  freed  5 

Of  toil  stupendous,  in  a  hallowed  seat 

Of  learning,  where  thou  heard'st  the  billows  beat 

On  a  wild  coast,  rough  monitors  to  feed 

Perpetual  industry.     Sublime  Recluse! 

The  recreant  soul,  that  dares  to  shun  the  debt  10 

Imposed  on  human  kind,  must  first  forget 

Thy  diligence,  thy  unrelaxing  use 

Of  a  long  life;  and,  in  the  hour  of  death. 

The  last  dear  service  of  thy  passing  breath! 


1.24- 

SAXON    MONASTERIES,    AND    LIGHTS    AND 
SHADES    OF    THE    RELIGION 

By  such  examples  moved  to  unbought  pains. 

The  people  work  like  congregated  bees; 

Eager  to  build  the  quiet  Fortresses 

Where  Piety,  as  they  believe,  obtains 

From  Heaven  a  general  blessing;  timely  rains  5 

Or  needful  sunshine;  prosperous  enterprise. 

Justice  and  peace: — bold  faith!  yet  also  rise 

The  sacred  Structures  for  less  doubtful  gains. 

The  Sensual  think  with  reverence  of  the  palms 

Which  the  chaste  Votaries  seek,  beyond  the  grave;  lo 

If  penance  be  redeemable,  thence  alms 

Flow  to  the  poor,  and  freedom  to  the  slave; 

And  if  full  oft  the  Sanctuary  save 

Lives  black  with  guilt,  ferocity  it  calms. 


132  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

1.25 

MISSIONS    AND    TRAVELS 

Not  sedentary  all:  there  are  who  roam 

To  scatter  seeds  of  life  on  barbarous  shores; 

Or  quit  with  zealous  step  their  knee-worn  floors 

To  seek  the  general  mart  of  Christendom; 

Whence  the}^  like  richl^'-laden  merchants,  come  5 

To  their  beloved  cells: — or  shall  we  say 

That,  like  the  Red-cross  Knight,  they  urge  their  way, 

To  lead  in  memorable  triumph  home 

Truth,  their  immortal  Una?     Babylon, 

Learned  and  wise,  hath  perished  utterly,  10 

Nor  leaves  her  Speech  one  word  to  aid  the  sigh 

That  would  lament  her; — Memphis,  Tyre,  are  gone 

With  all  their  Arts, — but  classic  lore  glides  on 

By  these  Religious  saved  for  all  posterity. 


1.26 

ALFRED 

Behold  a  pupil  of  the  monkish  gown. 

The  pious  Alfred,  King  to  Justice  dear! 

Lord  of  the  harp  and  liberating  spear; 

Mirror  of  Princes!     Indigent  Renown 

Might  range  the  starry  ether  for  a  crown  5 

Equal  to  his  deserts,  who,  like  the  year. 

Pours  forth  his  bounty,  like  the  day  doth  cheer. 

And  awes  like  night  with  mercy-tempered  frown. 

Ease  from  this  noble  miser  of  his  time 

No  moment  steals;  pain  narrows  not  his  cares.  10 

Though  small  his  kingdom  as  a  spark  or  gem, 

Of  Alfred  boasts  remote  Jerusalem, 

And  Christian  India,  through  her  wide-spread  clime, 

In  sacred  converse  gifts  with  Alfred  shares. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  133 

1.27 

HIS    DESCENDANTS 

When  thy  great  soul  \vas  freed  from  mortal  chains, 

Darling  of  England!  many  a  bitter  shower 

Fell  on  thy  tomb;  but  emulative  power 

Flowed  in  thy  line  through  undegenerate  veins. 

The  Race  of  Alfred  covet  glorious  pains  5 

When  dangers  threaten,  dangers  ever  new! 

Black  tempests  bursting,  blacker  still  in  view! 

But  manly  sovereignty  its  hold  retains; 

The  root  sincere,  the  branches  bold  to  strive 

With  the  fierce  tempest,  while,  within  the  round  10 

Of  their  protection,  gentle  virtues  thrive; 

As  oft,  'mid  some  green  plot  of  open  ground, 

\\'ide  as  the  oak  extends  its  dewy  gloom, 

The  fostered  hyacinths  spread  their  purple  bloom. 


1.28 

INFLUENCE    ABUSED 

L'rged  by  Ambition,  who  with  subtlest  skill 

Changes  her  means,  the  Enthusiast  as  a  dupe 

Shall  soar,  and  as  a  hypocrite  can  stoop. 

And  turn  the  instruments  of  good  to  ill, 

Moulding  the  credulous  people  to  his  will.  5 

Such  Dunstan: — from  its  Benedictine  coop 

Issues  the  master  Mind,  at  whose  fell  swoop 

The  chaste  affections  tremble  to  fulfil 

Their  purposes.     Behold,  pre-signified. 

The  Might  of  spiritual  sway!  his  thoughts,  his  dreams,  10 

Do  in  the  supernatural  world  abide: 

So  vaunt  a  throng  of  Followers,  filled  with  pride 

In  what  they  see  of  virtues  pushed  to  extremes, 

And  sorceries  of  talent  misapplied. 


134  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


1.29 

DANISH    CONQUESTS 

Woe  to  the  Crown  that  doth  the  Cowl  obey! 

Dissension,  checking  arms  that  would  restrain 

The  incessant  Rovers  of  the  northern  main, 

Helps  to  restore  and  spread  a  Pagan  sway: 

But  Gospel-truth  is  potent  to  allay  5 

Fierceness  and  rage;  and  soon  the  cruel  Dane 

Feels,  through  the  influence  of  her  gentle  reign, 

His  native  superstitions  melt  away. 

Thus,  often,  when  thick  gloom  the  east  o'ershrouds, 

The  full-orbed  Moon,  slow-climbing,  doth  appear  10 

Silently  to  consume  the  heavy  clouds; 

How  no  one  can  resolve;  but  every  eye 

Around  her  sees,  w^hile  air  is  hushed,  a  clear 

And  widening  circuit  of  ethereal  sky. 


1.30 

CANUTE 

A  PLEASANT  music  floats  along  the  Mere, 

From  Monks  in  Ely  chanting  service  high, 

While-as  Canute  the  King  is  rowing  by: 

'My  Oarsmen,'  quoth  the  mighty  King,  'draw  near, 

That  we  the  sweet  song  of  the  Monks  may  hear!'  5 

He  listens  (all  past  conquests  and  all  schemes 

Of  future  vanishing  like, empty  dreams) 

Heart-touched,  and  haply  not  without  a  tear. 

The  Royal  Minstrel,  ere  the  choir  is  still. 

While  his  free  Barge  skims  the  smooth  flood  along,  10 

Gives  to  that  rapture  an  accordant  Rhyme. 

O  suff"ering  Earth!  be  thankful;  sternest  clime 

And  rudest  age  are  subject  to  the  thrill 

Of  heaven-descended  Piety  and  Song. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  135 


I-3I 

THE    NORMAN    CONQUEST 

The  woman-hearted  Confessor  prepares 

The  evanescence  of  the  Saxon  line. 

Hark!  'tis  the  tolling  Curfew! — the  stars  shine; 

But  of  the  lights  that  cherish  household  cares 

And  festive  gladness,  burns  not  one  that  dares  5 

To  twinkle  after  that  dull  stroke  of  thine, 

Emblem  and  instrument,  from  Thames  to  Tyne, 

Of  force  that  daunts,  and  cunning  that  ensnares! 

Yet  as  the  terrors  of  the  lordly  bell, 

That  quench,  from  hut  to  palace,  lamps  and  fires,  10 

Touch  not  the  tapers  of  the  sacred  quires; 

Even  so  a  thraldom,  studious  to  expel 

Old  laws,  and  ancient  customs  to  derange. 

To  Creed  or  Ritual  brings  no  fatal  change. 


1.32 

Coldly  we  spake.     The  Saxons,  overpowered 

By  wrong  triumphant  through  its  own  excess, 

From  fields  laid  waste,  from  house  and  home  devoured 

By  flames,  look  up  to  heaven  and  crave  redress 

From  God's  eternal  justice.     Pitiless  5 

Though  men  be,  there  are  angels  that  can  feel 

For  wounds  that  death  alone  has  power  to  heal, 

For  penitent  guilt,  and  innocent  distress. 

And  has  a  Champion  risen  in  arms  to  try 

His  Country's  virtue,  fought,  and  breathes  no  more;  10 

Him  in  their  hearts  the  people  canonize; 

And  far  above  the  mine's  most  precious  ore 

The  least  small  pittance  of  bare  mould  they  prize 

Scooped  from  the  sacred  earth  where  his  dear  relics  lie. 


136  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1-33 

THE    COUNCIL    OF    CLERMONT 

'And  shall,'  the  Pontiff  asks,  'profaneness  flow 

From  Nazareth — source  of  Christian  piety. 

From  Bethlehem,  from  the  Mounts  of  Agony 

And  glorified  Ascension?     Warriors,  go, 

With  prayers  and  blessings  we  your  path  will  sow;  5 

Like  Moses  hold  our  hands  erect,  till  ye 

Have  chased  far  off  by  righteous  victory 

These  sons  of  Amalek,  or  laid  them  low! ' — 

'God  willeth  it,'  the  whole  assembly  cry; 

Shout  which  the  enraptured  multitude  astounds!  10 

The  Council-roof  and  Clermont's  towers  reply; — 

'God  willeth  it,'  from  hill  to  hill  rebounds. 

And,  in  awe-stricken  Countries  far  and  nigh. 

Through  'Nature's  hollow  arch'  that  voice  resounds. 


1-34 

CRUSADES 

The  turbaned  Race  are  poured  in  thickening  swarms 

Along  the  west;  though  driven  from  Aquitaine, 

The  Crescent  glitters  on  the  towers  of  Spain; 

And  soft  Italia  feels  renewed  alarms; 

The  scimitar,  that  yields  not  to  the  charms  5 

Of  ease,  the  narrow  Bosphorus  will  disdain; 

Nor  long  (that  crossed)  would  Grecian  hills  detain 

Their  tents,  and  check  the  current  of  their  arms. 

Then  blame  not  those  who,  by  the  mightiest  lever 

Known  to  the  moral  world.  Imagination,  lO 

Upheave,  so  seems  it,  from  her  natural  station 

All  Christendom: — they  sweep  along  (was  never 

So  huge  a  host!) — to  tear  from  the  Unbeliever 

The  precious  Tomb,  their  haven  of  salvation. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  137 


1.35 

RICHARD    I 

Redoubted  King,  of  courage  leonine, 

I  mark  thee,  Richard!  urgent  to  equip 

Thy  warlike  person  with  the  staff  and  scrip; 

I  watch  thee  sailing  o'er  the  midland  brine; 

In  conquered  Cyprus  see  thy  Bride  decline  5 

Her  blushing  cheek,  love-vows  upon  her  lip. 

And  see  love-emblems  streaming  from  thy  ship, 

As  thence  she  holds  her  way  to  Palestine. 

My  Song,  a  fearless  homager,  would  attend 

Thy  thundering  battle-axe  as  it  cleaves  the  press  10 

Of  war,  but  duty  summons  her  away 

To  tell — how,  finding  in  the  rash  distress 

Of  those  Enthusiasts  a  subservient  friend, 

To  giddier  heights  hath  clomb  the  Papal  sway. 


1.36 

AN    INTERDICT 

Realms  quake  by  turns:  proud  Arbitress  of  grace, 

The  Church,  by  mandate  shadowing  forth  the  power 

She  arrogates  o'er  heaven's  eternal  door. 

Closes  the  gates  of  every  sacred  place. 

Straight  from  the  sun  and  tainted  air's  embrace  5 

All  sacred  things  are  covered:  cheerful  morn 

Grows  sad  as  night — no  seemly  garb  is  worn, 

Nor  is  a  face  allowed  to  meet  a  face 

With  natural  smiles  of  greeting.     Bells  are  dumb; 

Ditches  are  graves — funereal  rites  denied ;  10 

And  in  the  church-yard  he  must  take  his  bride 

Who  dares  be  wedded !     Fancies  thickly  come 

Into  the  pensive  heart  ill  fortified. 

And  comfortless  despairs  the  soul  benumb. 


138  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


1-37 

PAPAL    ABUSES 

As  with  the  Stream  our  voyage  we  pursue, 

The  gross  materials  of  this  world  present 

A  marvellous  study  of  wild  accident; 

Uncouth  proximities  of  old  and  new; 

And  bold  transfigurations,  more  untrue  5 

(As  might  be  deemed)  to  disciplined  intent 

Than  aught  the  sky's  fantastic  element, 

When  most  fantastic,  offers  to  the  view. 

Saw  we  not  Henry  scourged  at  Becket's  Shrine? 

Lo!  John  self-stripped  of  his  insignia: — crown,  lO 

Sceptre  and  mantle,  sword  and  ring,  laid  down 

At  a  proud  Legate's  feet!     The  spears  that  line 

Baronial  halls,  the  opprobrious  insult  feel; 

And  angry  Ocean  roars  a  vain  appeal. 


1.38 

SCENE   IN   VENICE 

Black  Demons  hovering  o'er  his  mitred  head, 

To  Caesar's  Successor  the  Pontiff  spake; 

'Ere  I  absolve  thee,  stoop!  that  on  thy  neck 

Levelled  with  earth  this  foot  of  mine  may  tread.' 

Then  he,  who  to  the  altar  had  been  led,  5 

He,  whose  strong  arm  the  Orient  could  not  check, 

He,  who  had  held  the  Soldan  at  his  beck. 

Stooped,  of  all  glory  disinherited. 

And  even  the  common  dignity  of  man! — 

Amazement  strikes  the  crowd:  while  many  turn  10 

Their  eyes  away  in  sorrow,  others  burn 

With  scorn,  invoking  a  vindictive  ban 

From  outraged  Nature;  but  the  sense  of  most 

In  abject  sympathy  with  power  is  lost. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  139 

1.39 

PAPAL    DOMINION 

Unless  to  Peter's  Chair  the  viewless  wind 

Must  come  and  ask  permission  when  to  blow, 

What  further  empire  would  it  have?  for  now 

A  ghostly  Domination,  unconfined 

As  that  by  dreaming  Bards  to  Love  assigned,  5 

Sits  there  in  sober  truth — to  raise  the  low. 

Perplex  the  wise,  the  strong  to  overthrow; 

Through  earth  and  heaven  to  bind  and  to  unbind! — 

Resist — the  thunder  quails  thee  I — crouch — rebuff 

Shall  be  thy  recompense!  from  land  to  land  10 

The  ancient  thrones  of  Christendom  are  stuff 

For  occupation  of  a  magic  wand, 

And  'tis  the  Pope  that  wields  it: — whether  rough 

Or  smooth  his  front,  our  world  is  in  his  hand! 

Part  2 

To  THE  Close  of  the  Troubles  in  the 
Reign  of  Charles  I 

2.1 

How  soon — alas!  did  Man,  created  pure — 

By  Angels  guarded,  deviate  from  the  line 

Prescribed  to  duty: — woeful  forfeiture 

He  made  by  wilful  breach  of  law  divine. 

With  like  perverseness  did  the  Church  abjure  5 

Obedience  to  her  Lord,  and  haste  to  twine, 

'Mid  Heaven-born  flowers  that  shall  for  aye  endure. 

Weeds  on  whose  front  the  world  had  fixed  her  sign. 

O  Man, — if  with  thy  trials  thus  it  fares. 

If  good  can  smooth  the  way  to  evil  choice,  10 

From  all  rash  censure  be  the  mind  kept  free; 

He  only  judges  right  who  weighs,  compares, 

And,  in  the  sternest  sentence  which  his  voice 

Pronounces,  ne'er  abandons  Charity. 


140  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


2.2 

From  false  assumption  rose,  and  fondly  hailed 

By  superstition,  spread  the  Papal  power; 

Yet  do  not  deem  the  Autocracy  prevailed 

Thus  only,  even  in  error's  darkest  hour. 

She  daunts,  forth-thundering  from  her  spiritual  tower  5 

Brute  rapine,  or  with  gentle  lure  she  tames. 

Justice  and  Peace  through  Her  uphold  their  claims; 

And  Chastity  finds  many  a  sheltering  bower. 

Realm  there  is  none  that  if  controlled  or  swayed 

By  her  commands  partakes  not,  in  degree,  10 

Of  good,  o'er  manners  arts  and  arms,  diffused: 

Yes,  to  thy  domination,  Roman  See, 

Though  miserably,  oft  monstrously,  abused 

By  blind  ambition,  be  this  tribute  paid. 


2.3 

CISTERTIAN    MONASTERY 

'  Here  Man  more  purely  lives,  less  oft  doth  fall, 

More  promptly  rises,  walks  with  stricter  heed, 

More  safely  rests,  dies  happier,  is  freed 

Earlier  from  cleansing  fires,  and  gains  withal 

A  brighter  crown.' — On  yon  Cistertian  wall  5 

That  confident  assurance  may  be  read; 

And,  to  like  shelter,  from  the  world  have  fled 

Increasing  multitudes.     The  potent  call 

Doubtless  shall  cheat  full  oft  the  heart's  desires; 

Yet,  while  the  rugged  Age  on  pliant  knee  10 

Vows  to  rapt  Fancy  humble  fealty, 

A  gentler  life  spreads  round  the  holy  spires; 

Where'er  they  rise,  the  sylvan  waste  retires, 

And  aery  harvests  crown  the  fertile  lea. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  141 


24 

Deplorable  his  lot  who  tills  the  ground, 

His  whole  life  long  tills  it,  with  heartless  toil 

Of  villain-service,  passing  with  the  soil 

To  each  new  Master,  like  a  steer  or  hound, 

Or  like  a  rooted  tree,  or  stone  earth-bound;  5 

But  mark  how  gladly,  through  their  own  domains. 

The  Monks  relax  or  break  these  iron  chains; 

While  Mercy,  uttering,  through  their  voice,  a  sound 

Echoed  in  Heaven,  cries  out,  'Ye  Chiefs,  abate 

These  legalized  oppressions!     ^lan — whose  name  10 

And  nature  God  disdained  not;  Man — whose  soul 

Christ  died  for — cannot  forfeit  his  high  claim 

To  live  and  move  exempt  from  all  control 

Which  fellow-feeling  doth  not  mitigate! ' 


MONKS    AND    SCHOOLMEN 

Record  we  too,  with  just  and  faithful  pen, 

That  many  hooded  Cenobites  there  are. 

Who  in  their  private  cells  have  yet  a  care 

Of  public  quiet;  unambitious  Men, 

Counsellors  for  the  world,  of  piercing  ken;  5 

Whose  fervent  exhortations  from  afar 

Move  Princes  to  their  duty,  peace  or  war; 

And  oft-times  in  the  most  forbidding  den 

Of  solitude,  with  love  of  science  strong. 

How  patiently  the  yoke  of  thought  they  bear!  lO 

How  subtly  glide  its  finest  threads  along! 

Spirits  that  crowd  the  intellectual  sphere 

With  mazy  boundaries,  as  the  astronomer 

With  orb  and  cycle  girds  the  starry  throng. 


142  THE   ECCLESIASTICAI^   SOXxNETS 


2.6 
OTHER    BENEFITS 

And,  not  in  vain  embodied  to  the  sight, 

Religion  finds  even  in  the  stern  retreat 

Of  feudal  sway  her  own  appropriate  seat; 

From  the  collegiate  pomps  on  Windsor's  height 

Down  to  the  humbler  altar,  which  the  Knight  5 

And  his  Retainers  of  the  embattled  hall 

Seek  in  domestic  oratory  small, 

For  prayer  in  stillness,  or  the  chanted  rite; 

Then  chiefly  dear,  when  foes  are  planted  round, 

Who  teach  the  intrepid  guardians  of  the  place —  10 

Hourly  exposed  to  death,  with  famine  worn, 

And  suffering  under  many  a  perilous  wound — 

How  sad  would  be  their  durance,  if  forlorn 

Of  offices  dispensing  heavenly  grace! 


2.7 

CONTINUED 

And  what  melodious  sounds  at  times  prevail! 

And,  ever  and  anon,  how  bright  a  gleam 

Pours  on  the  surface  of  the  turbid  Stream! 

What  heartfelt  fragrance  mingles  with  the  gale 

That  swells  the  bosom  of  our  passing  sail !  5 

For  where,  but  on  this  River's  margin,  blow 

Those  flowers  of  chivalry,  to  bind  the  brow 

Of  hardihood  with  wreaths  that  shall  not  fail? — 

Fair  Court  of  Edward!  wonder  of  the  world! 

I  see  a  matchless  blazonry  unfurled  lO 

Of  wisdom,  magnanimity,  and  love; 

And  meekness  tempering  honourable  pride; 

The  lamb  is  couching  by  the  lion's  side, 

And  near  the  flame-eyed  eagle  sits  the  dove. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  143 


2.8 
CRUSADERS 

Furl  we  the  sails,  and  pass  with  tardy  oars 

Through  these  bright  regions,  casting  many  a  glance 

Upon  the  dream-like  issues — the  romance 

Of  many-coloured  life  that  Fortune  pours 

Round  the  Crusaders,  till  on  distant  shores  5 

Their  laboune  end;  or  they  return  to  lie, 

The  vow  performed,  in  cross-legged  effigy, 

Devoutly  stretched  upon  their  chancel  floors. 

Am  I  deceived?     Or  is  their  requiem  chanted 

By  voices  never  mute  when  Heaven  unties  lO 

Her  inmost,  softest,  tenderest  harmonies; 

Requiem  which  Earth  takes  up  with  voice  undaunted, 

When  she  would  tell  how  Brave,  and  Good,  and  Wise, 

For  their  high  guerdon  not  in  vain  have  panted! 


2.9 

As  faith  thus  sanctified  the  warrior's  crest 

W^hile  from  the  Papal  Unity  there  came, 

What  feebler  means  had  failed  to  give,  one  aim 

Diffused  through  all  the  regions  of  the  W^est; 

So  does  her  Unity  its  power  attest  5 

By  works  of  Art,  that  shed,  on  the  outward  frame 

Of  worship,  glory  and  grace,  which  who  shall  blame 

That  ever  looked  to  heaven  for  final  rest? 

Hail  countless  Temples!  that  so  well  befit 

Your  ministry;  that,  as  ye  rise  and  take  lo 

Form  spirit  and  character  from  holy  writ. 

Give  to  devotion,  wheresoe'er  awake. 

Pinions  of  high  and  higher  sweep,  and  make 

The  unconverted  soul  with  awe  submit. 


144  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SOXXETS 


2.10 

Where  long  and  deeply  hath  been  fixed  the  root 

In  the  blest  soil  of  gospel  truth,  the  Tree, 

(Blighted  or  scathed  though  many  branches  be, 

Put  forth  to  wither,  many  a  hopeful  shoot) 

Can  never  cease  to  bear  celestial  fruit.  5 

Witness  the  Church  that  oft-times,  with  effect 

Dear  to  the  saints,  strives  earnestly  to  eject 

Her  bane,  her  vital  energies  recruit. 

Lamenting,  do  not  hopelessly  repine 

When  such  good  work  is  doomed  to  be  undone,  lo 

The  conquests  lost  that  were  so  hardly  won: — 

All  promises  vouchsafed  by  Heaven  will  shine 

In  light  confirmed  while  years  their  course  shall  run. 

Confirmed  alike  in  progress  and  decline. 


2. II 
TRANSUBSTANTIATION 

Enough!  for  see,  with  dim  association 

The  tapers  burn;  the  odorous  incense  feeds 

A  greedy  flame;  the  pompous  mass  proceeds; 

The  Priest  bestows  the  appointed  consecration; 

And,  while  the  Host  is  raised,  its  elevation  5 

An  awe  and  supernatural  horror  breeds; 

And  all  the  people  bow  their  heads,  like  reeds 

To  a  soft  breeze,  in  lowly  adoration. 

This  Valdo  brooks  not.     On  the  banks  of  Rhone 

He  taught,  till  persecution  chased  him  thence,  10 

To  adore  the  Invisible,  and  Him  alone. 

Nor  are  his  Followers  loth  to  seek  defence, 

'Mid  woods  and  wilds,  on  Nature's  craggy  throne, 

From  rites  that  trample  upon  soul  and  sense. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  145 


2.12 
THE    VAUDOIS 

But  whence  came  they  who  for  the  Saviour  Lord 

Have  long  borne  witness  as  the  Scriptures  teach.-' — 

Ages  ere  Valdo  raised  his  voice  to  preach 

In  Gallic  ears  the  unadulterate  W^ord, 

Their  fugitive  Progenitors  explored  5 

Subalpine  vales,  in  quest  of  safe  retreats 

Where  that  pure  Church  survives,  though  summer  heats 

Open  a  passage  to  the  Romish  sword. 

Far  as  it  dares  to  follow.     Herbs  self-sown. 

And  fruitage  gathered  from  the  chestnut  wood,  10 

Nourish  the  sufferers  then;  and  mists,  that  brood 

O'er  chasms  with  new-fallen  obstacles  bestrown, 

Protect  them;  and  the  eternal  snow  that  daunts 

Aliens,  is  God's  good  winter  for  their  haunts. 


2.13 

Praised  be  the  Rivers,  from  their  mountain  springs 

Shouting  to  Freedom,  'Plant  thy  banners  here!' 

To  harassed  Piety,  '  Dismiss  thy  fear. 

And  in  our  caverns  smooth  thy  ruffled  wings! ' 

Nor  be  unthanked  their  final  lingerings —  5 

Silent,  but  not  to  high-souled  Passion's  ear — 

'Mid  reedy  fens  wicie-spread  and  marshes  drear, 

Their  own  creation.     Such  glad  welcomings 

As  Po  was  heard  to  give  where  Venice  rose 

Hailed  from  aloft  those  Heirs  of  truth  divine  lO 

Who  near  his  fountains  sought  obscure  repose. 

Yet  came  prepared  as  glorious  lights  to  shine, 

Should  that  be  needed  for  their  sacred  Charge; 

Blest  Prisoners  They,  whose  spirits  were  at  large! 


11 


146  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


2.14 

WALDENSES 

Those  had  given  earliest  notice,  as  the  lark 

Springs  from  the  ground  the  morn  to  gratulate; 

Or  rather  rose  the  day  to  antedate, 

By  striking  out  a  solitary  spark, 

When  all  the  world  with  midnight  gloom  was  dark. —  5 

Then  followed  the  Waldensian  bands,  whom  Hate 

In  vain  endeavours  to  exterminate. 

Whom  Obloquy  pursues  with  hideous  bark: 

But  they  desist  not; — and  the  sacred  fire. 

Rekindled  thus,  from  dens  and  savage  woods  10 

Moves,  handed  on  with  never-ceasing  care. 

Through  courts,  through  camps,  o'er  limitary  floods; 

Nor  lacks  this  sea-girt  Isle  a  timely  share 

Of  the  new  Flame,  not  suffered  to  expire. 


2.15 

ARCHBISHOP    CHICHELEY    TO    HENRY    V 

'What  beast  in  wilderness  or  cultured  field 

The  lively  beauty  of  the  leopard  shows? 

What  flower  in  meadow-ground  or  garden  grows 

That  to  the  towering  lily  doth  not  yield? 

Let  both  meet  only  on  thy  royal  shield!  5 

Go  forth,  great  King!  claim  what  thy  birth  bestows; 

Conquer  the  Gallic  lily  which  thy  foes 

Dare  to  usurp; — thou  hast  a  sword  to  wield. 

And  Heaven  will  crown  the  right.' — The  mitred  Sire 

Thus  spake — and  lo!  a  Fleet,  for  Gaul  addrest,  10 

Ploughs  her  bold  course  across  the  wondering  seas; 

For,  sooth  to  say,  ambition,  in  the  breast 

Of  youthful  heroes,  is  no  sullen  fire, 

But  one  that  leaps  to  meet  the  fanning  breeze. 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  147 


2.16 

WARS    OF    YORK    AND    LANCASTER 

Thus  is  the  storm  abated  by  the  craft 

Of  a  shrewd  Counsellor,  eager  to  protect 

The  Church,  whose  power  hath  recently  been  checked. 

Whose  monstrous  riches  threatened.     So  the  shaft 

Of  victory  mounts  high,  and  blood  is  quaffed  5 

In  fields  that  rival  Cressy  and  Poictiers — 

Pride  to  be  washed  away  by  bitter  tears! 

For  deep  as  hell  itself,  the  avenging  draught 

Of  civil  slaughter.     Yet,  while  temporal  power 

Is  by  these  shocks  exhausted,  spiritual  truth  10 

Maintains  the  else  endangered  gift  of  life; 

Proceeds  from  infancy  to  lusty  youth; 

And,  under  cover  of  this  woeful  strife. 

Gathers  unblighted  strength  from  hour  to  hour. 


2.17 

WICLIFFE 

Once  more  the  Church  is  seized  with  sudden  fear, 

And  at  her  call  is  Wicliffe  disinhumed: 

Yea,  his  dry  bones  to  ashes  are  consumed 

And  flung  into  the  brook  that  travels  near; 

Forthwith,  that  ancient  Voice  which  Streams  can  hear  5 

Thus  speaks  (that  Voice  which  walks  upon  the  wind, 

Though  seldom  heard  by  busy  human  kind) — 

'As  thou  these  ashes,  little  Brook!  wilt  bear 

Into  the  Avon,  Avon  to  the  tide 

Of  Severn,  Severn  to  the  narrow  seas,  10 

Into  main  Ocean  they,  this  deed  accurst 

An  emblem  yields  to  friends  and  enemies 

How  the  bold  Teacher's  Doctrine,  sanctified 

By  truth,  shall  spread,  throughout  the  world  dispersed.' 


148  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

2.18 
CORRUPTIONS   OF   THE    HIGHER   CLERGY 

*WoE  to  you,  Prelates!  rioting  in  ease 

And  cumbrous  wealth — the  shame  of  your  estate; 

You,  on  whose  progress  dazzling  trains  await 

Of  pompous  horses;  whom  vain  titles  please; 

Who  will  be  served  by  others  on  their  knees,  5 

Yet  will  yourselves  to  God  no  service  pay; 

Pastors  who  neither  take  nor  point  the  way 

To  Heaven;  for,  either  lost  in  vanities 

Ye  have  no  skill  to  teach,  or  if  ye  know 

And  speak  the  word '     Alas!  of  fearful  things  10 

'Tis  the  most  fearful  when  the  people's  eye 
Abuse  hath  cleared  from  vain  imaginings; 
And  taught  the  general  voice  to  prophesy 
Of  Justice  armed,  and  Pride  to  be  laid  low. 


2.19 

ABUSE    OF    MONASTIC    POWER 

And  what  is  Penance  with  her  knotted  thong; 

Mortification  with  the  shirt  of  hair. 

Wan  cheek,  and  knees  indurated  with  prayer, 

Vigils,  and  fastings  rigorous  as  long; 

If  cloistered  Avarice  scruple  not  to  wrong  5 

The  pious,  humble,  useful  Secular, 

And  rob  the  people  of  his  daily  care. 

Scorning  that  world  whose  blindness  makes  her  strong? 

Inversion  strange!  that,  unto  One  who  lives 

For  self,  and  struggles  with  himself  alone,  10 

The  amplest  share  of  heavenly  favour  gives; 

That  to  a  Monk  allots,  both  in  the  esteem 

Of  God  and  man,  place  higher  than  to  him 

Who  on  the  good  of  others  builds  his  own! 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  149 


2.20 

MONASTIC   VOLUPTUOUSNESS 

Yet  more, — round  many  a  Convent's  blazing  fire 

Unhallowed  threads  of  revelry  are  spun; 

There  Venus  sits  disguised  like  a  Nun, — 

While  Bacchus,  clothed  in  semblance  of  a  Friar, 

Pours  out  his  choicest  beverage  high  and  higher  5 

Sparkling,  until  it  cannot  choose  but  run 

Over  the  bowl,  whose  silver  lip  hath  won 

An  instant  kiss  of  masterful  desire — 

To  stay  the  precious  waste.     Through  every  brain 

The  domination  of  the  sprightly  juice  lO 

Spreads  high  conceits  to  madding  Fancy  dear. 

Till  the  arched  roof,  with  resolute  abuse 

Of  its  grave  echoes,  swells  a  choral  strain. 

Whose  votive  burthen  is — 'Our  Kingdom's  here!' 


2.21 

DISSOLUTION    OF    THE    MONASTERIES 

Threats  come  which  no  submission  may  assuage. 
No  sacrifice  avert,  no  power  dispute; 
The  tapers  shall  be  quenched,  the  belfries  mute. 
And,  'mid  their  choirs  unroofed  by  selfish  rage, 
•The  warbling  wren  shall  find  a  leafy  cage;  5 

The  gadding  bramble  hang  her  purple  fruit; 
And  the  green  lizard  and  the  gilded  newt 
Lead  unmolested  lives,  and  die  of  age. 
The  owl  of  evening  and  the  woodland  fox 

For  their  abode  the  shrines  of  Waltham  choose:  lO 

Proud  Glastonbury  can  no  more  refuse 
To  stoop  her  head  before  these  desperate  shocks — 
She  whose  high  pomp  displaced,  as  story  tells, 
Arimathean  Joseph's  wattled  cells. 


150  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS   * 


2.22 


THE    SAME    SUBJECT 

The  lovely  Nun  (submissive,  but  more  meek 

Through  saintly  habit  than  from  effort  due 

To  unrelenting  mandates  that  pursue 

With  equal  wrath  the  steps  of  strong  and  weak) 

Goes  forth — unveiling  timidly  a  cheek  5 

Suffused  with  blushes  of  celestial  hue, 

While  through  the  Convent's  gate  to  open  view 

Softly  she  glides,  another  home  to  seek. 

Not  Iris,  issuing  from  her  cloudy  shrine. 

An  Apparition  more  divinely  bright!  lO 

Not  more  attractive  to  the  dazzled  sight 

Those  watery  glories,  on  the  stormy  brine 

Poured  forth,  while  summer  suns  at  distance  shine. 

And  the  green  vales  lie  hushed  in  sober  light! 


2.23 
CONTINUED 

Yet  many  a  Novice  of  the  cloistral  shade. 

And  many  chained  by  vows,  with  eager  glee 

The  warrant  hail,  exulting  to  be  free; 

Like  ships  before  whose  keels,  full  long  embayed 

In  polar  ice,  propitious  winds  have  made  s      5 

Unlooked-for  outlet  to  an  open  sea, 

Their  liquid  world,  for  bold  discovery. 

In  all  her  quarters  temptingly  displayed! 

Hope  guides  the  young;  but  when  the  old  must  pass 

The  threshold,  whither  shall  they  turn  to  find  lO 

The  hospitality — the  alms  (alas! 

Alms  may  be  needed)  which  that  House  bestowed? 

Can  they,  in  faith  and  worship,  train  the  mind 

To  keep  this  new  and  questionable  road? 


OF    WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  151 

2.24 

SAINTS 

Ye,  too,  must  fly  before  a  chasing  hand, 

Angels  and  Saints,  in  every  hamlet  mourned! 

Ah!  if  the  old  idolatry  be  spurned, 

Let  not  your  radiant  Shapes  desert  the  Land: 

Her  adoration  was  not  your  demand,  5 

The  fond  heart  proffered  it — the  servile  heart; 

And  therefore  are  ye  summoned  to  depart, 

Michael,  and  thou,  St.  George,  whose  flaming  brand 

The  Dragon  quelled;  and  valiant  Margaret 

Whose  rival  sword  a  like  Opponent  slew:  10 

And  rapt  Cecilia,  seraph-haunted  Queen 

Of  harmony;  and  weeping  Magdalene, 

Who  in  the  penitential  desert  met 

Gales  sweet  as  those  that  over  Eden  blew! 


2.25 

THE    VIRGIN 

Mother!  whose  virgin  bosom  was  uncrost 

With  the  least  shade  of  thought  to  sin  allied; 

Woman!  above  all  women  glorified, 

Our  tainted  nature's  solitary  boast; 

Purer  than  foam  on  central  ocean  tost;  5 

Brighter  than  eastern  skies  at  daybreak  strewn 

With  fancied  roses,  than  the  unblemished  moon 

Before  her  wane  begins  on  heaven's  blue  coast; 

Thy  Image  falls  to  earth.     Yet  some,  I  ween. 

Not  unforgiven  the  suppliant  knee  might  bend,  10 

As  to  a  visible  Power,  in  which  did  blend 

All  that  was  mixed  and  reconciled  in  Thee 

Of  mother's  love  with  maiden  purity, 

Of  high  with  low,  celestial  with  terrene! 


152  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


2.26 

APOLOGY 

Not  utterly  unworthy  to  endure 

Was  the  supremacy  of  crafty  Rome; 

Age  after  age  to  the  arch  of  Christendom 

Aerial  keystone  haughtily  secure; 

Supremacy  from  Heaven  transmitted  pure,  5 

As  many  hold;  and,  therefore,  to  the  tomb 

Pass,  some  through  fire — and  by  the  scaffold  some — 

Like  saintly  Fisher,  and  unbending  More. 

'Lightly  for  both  the  bosom's  lord  did  sit 

Upon  his  throne';  unsoftened,  undismayed  10 

By  aught  that  mingled  with  the  tragic  scene 

Of  pity  or  fear;  and  More's  gay  genius  played 

With  the  inoffensive  sword  of  native  wit. 

Than  the  bare  axe  more  luminous  and  keen. 


2.27 

IMAGINATIVE    REGRETS 

Deep  is  the  lamentation!     Not  alone 

From  Sages  justly  honoured  by  m.ankind; 

But  from  the  ghostly  tenants  of  the  wind. 

Demons  and  Spirits,  many  a  dolorous  groan 

Issues  for  that  dominion  overthrown:  5 

Proud  Tiber  grieves,  and  far-off  Ganges,  blind 

As  his  own  worshippers:  and  Nile,  reclined 

Upon  his  monstrous  urn,  the  farewell  moan 

Renews.     Through  every  forest,  cave,  and  den. 

Where  frauds  were  hatched  of  old,  hath  sorrow  past —  10 

Hangs  o'er  the  Arabian  Prophet's  native  Waste, 

Where  once  his  airy  helpers  schemed  and  planned 

'Mid  spectral  lakes  bemocking  thirsty  men, 

And  stalking  pillars  built  of  fiery  sand. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  153 

2.28 

REFLECTIONS 

Grant,  that  by  this  unsparing  hurricane 

Green  leaves  with  yellow  mixed  are  torn  away, 

And  goodly  fruitage  with  the  mother-spray; 

'Twere  madness — wished  we,  therefore,  to  detain, 

With  hands  stretched  forth  in  mollified  disdain,  5 

The  'trumpery'  that  ascends  in  bare  display — 

Bulls,  pardons,  relics,  cowls  black,  white,  and  grey — 

Upwhirled,  and  flying  o'er  the  ethereal  plain 

Fast  bound  for  Limbo  Lake.     And  yet  not  choice 

But  habit  rules  the  unreflecting  herd,  10 

xAnd  airy  bonds  are  hardest  to  disown; 

Hence,  with  the  spiritual  sovereignty  transferred 

L'nto  itself,  the  Crown  assumes  a  voice 

Of  reckless  mastery,  hitherto  unknown. 


2.29 

TRANSLATION    OF    THE    BIBLE 

But,  to  outweigh  all  harm,  the  sacred  Book, 

In  dusty  sequestration  wrapt  too  long. 

Assumes  the  accents  of  our  native  tongue; 

And  he  w-ho  guides  the  plough,  or  wields  the  crook, 

With  understanding  spirit  now  may  look  5 

Upon  her  records,  listen  to  her  song. 

And  sift  her  laws — much  wondering  that  the  wrong, 

Which  Faith  has  suff"ered,  Heaven  could  calmly  brook. 

Transcendent  Boon!  noblest  that  earthly  King 

Ever  bestowed  to  equalize  and  bless  10 

Under  the  weight  of  mortal  wretchedness! 

But  passions  spread  like  plagues,  and  thousands  wild 

With  bigotry  shall  tread  the  Offering 

Beneath  their  feet,  detested  and  defiled. 


154  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


2.30 

THE    POINT    AT    ISSUE 

For  what  contend  the  wise? — for  nothing  less 

Than  that  the  Soul,  freed  from  the  bonds  of  Sense, 

And  to  her  God  restored  by  evidence 

Of  things  not  seen,  drawn  forth  from  their  recess, 

Root  there,  and  not  in  forms,  her  holiness; —  5 

For  Faith,  which  to  the  Patriarchs  did  dispense 

Sure  guidance,  ere  a  ceremonial  fence 

Was  needful  round  men  thirsting  to  transgress; — 

For  Faith,  more  perfect  still,  with  which  the  Lord 

Of  all,  himself  a  Spirit,  in  the  youth  10 

Of  Christian  aspiration,  deigned  to  fill 

The  temples  of  their  hearts  who,  with  his  word 

Informed,  were  resolute  to  do  his  will. 

And  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 


2.31 

EDWARD    VI 

'Sweet  is  the  holiness  of  Youth' — so  felt 

Time-honoured  Chaucer  speaking  through  that  Lay 

By  which  the  Prioress  beguiled  the  way. 

And  many  a  Pilgrim's  rugged  heart  did  melt. 

Hadst  thou,  loved  Bard!  whose  spirit  often  dwelt  5 

In  the  clear  land  of  vision,  but  foreseen 

King,  child,  and  seraph,  blended  in  the  mien 

Of  pious  Edward  kneeling  as  he  knelt 

In  meek  and  simple  infancy,  what  joy 

For  universal  Christendom  had  thrilled  '  10 

Thy  heart!  what  hopes  inspired  thy  genius,  skilled 

(0  great  Precursor,  genuine  morning  Star) 

The  lucid  shafts  of  reason  to  employ, 

Piercing  the  Papal  darkness  from  afar! 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  155 


2.32 

EDWARD    SIGNING    THE    WARRANT    FOR    THE 
EXECUTION    OF    JOAN    OF    KENT 

The  tears  of  man  in  various  measure  gush 

From  various  sources;  gently  overflow 

From  blissful  transport  some — from  clefts  of  woe 

Some  with  ungovernable  impulse  rush; 

And  some,  coeval  with  the  earliest  blush  5 

Of  infant  passion,  scarcely  dare  to  show 

Their  pearly  lustre — coming  but  to  go; 

And  some  break  forth  when  others'  sorrows  crush 

The  sympathising  heart.     Nor  these,  nor  yet 

The  noblest  drops  to  admiration  known,  10 

To  gratitude,  to  injuries  forgiven — 

Claim  Heaven's  regard  like  waters  that  have  wet 

The  innocent  eyes  of  youthful  Monarchs  driven 

To  pen  the  mandates,  nature  doth  disown. 


2.33 

REVIVAL    OF    POPERY 

The  saintly  Youth  has  ceased  to  rule,  discrowned 

By  unrelenting  Death.     O  People  keen 

For  change,  to  whom  the  new  looks  always  green! 

Rejoicing  did  they  cast  upon  the  ground 

Their  Gods  of  wood  and  stone;  and,  at  the  sound  5 

Of  counter-proclamation,  now  are  seen, 

(Proud  triumph  is  it  for  a  sullen  Queen!) 

Lifting  them  up,  the  worship  to  confound 

Of  the  Most  High.     Again  do  they  invoke 

The  Creature,  to  the  Creature  glory  give;  10 

Again  with  frankincense  the  altars  smoke 

Like  those  the  Heathen  served;  and  mass  is  sung; 

And  prayer,  man's  rational  prerogative. 

Runs  through  blind  channels  of  an  unknown  tongue. 


156  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


2.34 

LATIMER    AND    RIDLEY 

How  fast  the  Marian  death-list  is  unrolled! 

See  Latimer  and  Ridley  in  the  might 

Of  Faith  stand  coupled  for  a  common  flight! 

One  (like  those  prophets  whom  God  sent  of  old) 

Transfigured,  from  this  kindling  hath  foretold  5 

A  torch  of  inextinguishable  light; 

The  Other  gains  a  confidence  as  bold; 

And  thus  they  foil  their  enemy's  despite. 

The  penal  instruments,  the  shows  of  crime, 

Are  glorified  while  this  once-mitred  pair  lO 

Of  saintly  Friends  the  'murtherer's  chain  partake, 

Corded,  and  burning  at  the  social  stake': 

Earth  never  witnessed  object  more  sublime 

In  constancy,  in  fellowship  more  fair! 


2.35 

CRANMER 

Outstretching  flame-ward  his  upbraided  hand 

(O  God  of  mercy,  may  no  earthly  Seat 

Of  judgment  such  presumptuous  doom  repeat!) 

Amid  the  shuddering  throng  doth  Cranmer  stand; 

Firm  as  the  stake  to  which  with  iron  band  5 

His  frame  is  tied;  firm  from  the  naked  feet 

To  the  bare  head.     The  victory  is  complete; 

The  shrouded  Body  to  the  Soul's  command 

Answers  with  more  than  Indian  fortitude, 

Through  all  her  nerves  with  finer  sense  endued,  lo 

Till  breath  departs  in  blissful  aspiration: 

Then,  'mid  the  ghastly  ruins  of  the  fire, 

Behold  the  unalterable  heart  entire. 

Emblem  of  faith  untouched,  miraculous  attestation! 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  157 


2.36 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF  THE  TROUBLES  OF  THE  REFORMATION 

Aid,  glorious  Martyrs,  from  your  fields  of  light, 

Our  mortal  ken!     Inspire  a  perfect  trust 

(While  we  look  round)  that  Heaven's  decrees  are  just: 

Which  few  can  hold  committed  to  a  fight 

That  shows,  ev'n  on  its  better  side,  the  might  5 

Of  proud  Self-will,  Rapacity,  and  Lust, 

'Mid  clouds  enveloped  of  polemic  dust, 

Which  showers  of  blood  seem  rather  to  incite 

Than  to  allay.     Anathemas  are  hurled 

From  both  sides;  veteran  thunders  (the  brute  test  10 

Of  truth)  are  met  by  fulminations  new — 

Tartarean  flags  are  caught  at,  and  unfurled — 

Friends  strike  at  friends — the  fiying  shall  pursue — 

And  Victory  sickens,  ignorant  where  to  rest! 


2.37 

ENGLISH    REFORMERS    IN    EXILE 

Scattering,  like  birds  escaped  the  fowler's  net. 

Some  seek  with  timely  flight  a  foreign  strand; 

Most  happy,  re-assembled  in  a  land 

By  dauntless  Luther  freed,  could  they  forget 

Their  Country's  woes.     But  scarcely  have  they  met,  5 

Partners  in  faith,  and  brothers  in  distress, 

Free  to  pour  forth  their  common  thankfulness. 

Ere  hope  declines: — their  union  is  beset 

With  speculative  notions  rashly  sown, 

Whence  thickly-sprouting  growth  of  poisonous  weeds;  10 

Their  forms  are  broken  staves;  their  passions,  steeds 

That  master  them.     How  enviably  blest 

Is  he  who  can,  by  help  of  grace,  enthrone 

The  peace  of  God  within  his  single  breast! 


158  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

2.38 

ELIZABETH 

Hail,  Virgin  Queen!  o'er  many  an  envious  bar 

Triumphant,  snatched  from  many  a  treacherous  wile! 

All  hail,  sage  Lady,  whom  a  grateful  Isle 

Hath  blest,  respiring  from  that  dismal  war 

Stilled  by  thy  voice!     But  quickly  from  afar  5 

Defiance  breathes  with  more  malignant  aim; 

And  alien  storms  with  home-bred  ferments  claim 

Portentous  fellowship.     Her  silver  car, 

By  sleepless  prudence  ruled,  glides  slowly  on; 

Unhurt  by  violence,  from  menaced  taint  10 

Emerging  pure,  and  seemingly  more  bright: 

Ah!  wherefore  yields  it  to  a  foul  constraint 

Black  as  the  clouds  its  beams  dispersed,  while  shone, 

By  men  and  angels  blest,  the  glorious  light? 


2.39 

EMINENT    REFORMERS 

Methinks  that  I  could  trip  o'er  heaviest  soil, 

Light  as  a  buoyant  bark  from  wave  to  wave, 

Were  mine  the  trusty  staff  that  Jewel  gave 

To  youthful  Hooker,  in  familiar  style 

The  gift  exalting,  and  with  playful  smile:  5 

For  thus  equipped,  and  bearing  on  his  head 

The  Donor's  farewell  blessing,  can  he  dread 

Tempest,  or  length  of  way,  or  weight  of  toil? — 

More  sweet  than  odours  caught  by  him  who  sails 

Near  spicy  shores  of  Araby  the  blest,  10' 

A  thousand  times  more  exquisitely  sweet, 

The  freight  of  holy  feeling  which  we  meet, 

In  thoughtful  moments,  wafted  by  the  gales 

From  fields  where  good  men  walk,  or  bowers  wherein  they  rest. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  159 

240 

THE    SAME 

Holy  and  heavenly  Spirits  as  they  are, 

Spotless  in  life,  and  eloquent  as  wise. 

With  what  entire  affection  do  they  prize 

Their  Church  reformed!  labouring  with  earnest  care 

To  baffle  all  that  may  her  strength  impair;  5 

That  Church,  the  unperverted  Gospel's  seat; 

In  their  afflictions  a  divine  retreat; 

Source  of  their  liveliest  hope,  and  tenderest  prayer! — 

The  truth  exploring  with  an  equal  mind, 

In  doctrine  and  communion  they  have  sought  10 

Firmly  between  the  two  extremes  to  steer; 

But  theirs  the  wise  man's  ordinary  lot, 

To  trace  right  courses  for  the  stubborn  blind, 

And  prophesy  to  ears  that  will  not  hear. 


2.41 

DISTRACTIONS 

Men,  who  have  ceased  to  reverence,  soon  defy 

Their  forefathers;  lo!  sects  are  formed,  and  split 

With  morbid  restlessness; — the  ecstatic  fit 

Spreads  wide;  though  special  mysteries  multiply, 

The  Saints  must  govern,  is  their  common  cry;  5 

And  so  they  labour,  deeming  Holy  Writ 

Disgraced  by  aught  that  seems  content  to  sit 

Beneath  the  roof  of  settled  Modesty. 

The  Romanist  exults;  fresh  hope  he  draws 

From  the  confusion,  craftily  incites  10 

The  overweening,  personates  the  mad — 

To  heap  disgust  upon  the  worthier  Cause: 

Totters  the  Throne;  the  new-born  Church  is  sad. 

For  every  wave  against  her  peace  unites. 


160  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


2.42 

GUNPOWDER    PLOT 

Fear  hath  a  hundred  eyes  that  all  agree 

To  plague  her  beating  heart;  and  there  is  one 

(Nor  idlest  that!)  which  holds  communion 

With  things  that  were  not,  yet  were  meant  to  be. 

Aghast  within  its  gloomy  cavity  5 

That  eye  (which  sees  as  if  fulfilled  and  done 

Crimes  that  might  stop  the  motion  of  the  sun) 

Beholds  the  horrible  catastrophe 

Of  an  assembled  Senate  unredeemed 

From  subterraneous  Treason's  darkling  power:  ID 

Merciless  act  of  sorrow  infinite! 

Worse  than  the  product  of  that  dismal  night, 

When  gushing,  copious  as  a  thunder-shower. 

The  blood  of  Huguenots  through  Paris  streamed. 


2.43 
illustration:  the  jung-frau  and  the  fall  of  the 

RHINE    near    SCHAFFHAUSEN 

The  Virgin-Mountain,  wearing  like  a  Queen 

A  brilliant  crown  of  everlasting  snow, 

Sheds  ruin  from  her  sides;  and  men  below 

Wonder  that  aught  of  aspect  so  serene 

Can  link  with  desolation.     Smooth  and  green,  5 

And  seeming,  at  a  little  distance,  slow. 

The  waters  of  the  Rhine;  but  on  they  go 

Fretting  and  whitening,  keener  and  more  keen; 

Till  madness  seizes  on  the  whole  wide  Flood, 

Turned  to  a  fearful  Thing  whose  nostrils  breathe  10 

Blasts  of  tempestuous  smoke — wherewith  he  tries 

To  hide  himself,  but  only  magnifies; 

And  doth  in  more  conspicuous  torment  writhe, 

Deafening  the  region  in  his  ireful  mood. 


OF   WILLI AiM    WORDSWORTH  161 


2.44 

TROUBLES    OF    CHARLES    THE    FIRST 

Even  such  the  contrast  that,  where'er  we  move, 

To  the  mind's  eye  Religion  doth  present; 

Now  with  her  own  deep  quietness  content; 

Then,  like  the  mountain,  thundering  from  above 

Against  the  ancient  pine-trees  of  the  grove  5 

And  the  Land's  humblest  comforts.     Now  her  mood 

Recalls  the  transformation  of  the  flood, 

Whose  rage  the  gentle  skies  in  vain  reprove, 

Earth  cannot  check,     O  terrible  excess 

Of  headstrong  will!     Can  this  be  Piety?  10 

No — some  fierce  Maniac  hath  usurped  her  name; 

And  scourges  England  struggling  to  be  free: 

Her  peace  destroyed!  her  hopes  a  wilderness! 

Her  blessings  cursed — her  glory  turned  to  shame! 


245 

LAUD 

Prejudged  by  foes  determined  not  to  spare, 

An  old  weak  Man  for  vengeance  thrown  aside. 

Laud,  'in  the  painful  art  of  dying'  tried, 

(Like  a  poor  bird  entangled  in  a  snare 

Whose  heart  still  flutters,  though  his  wings  forbear  5 

To  stir  in  useless  struggle)  hath  relied 

On  hope  that  conscious  innocence  supplied. 

And  in  his  prison  breathes  celestial  air. 

Why  tarries  then  thy  chariot?     W'^herefore  stay, 

O  Death!  the  ensanguined  yet  triumphant  wheels,  10 

Which  thou  prepar'st,  full  often,  to  convey 

(W^hat  time  a  State  with  madding  faction  reels) 

The  Saint  or  Patriot  to  the  world  that  heals 

All  wounds,  all  perturbations  doth  allay? 


12 


162  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

2.46 

AFFLICTIONS   OF   ENGLAND 

Harp!  couldst  thou  venture,  on  thy  boldest  string, 

The  faintest  note  to  echo  which  the  blast 

Caught  from  the  hand  of  Moses  as  it  passed 

O'er  Sinai's  top,  or  from  the  Shepherd-king, 

Early  awake,  by  Siloa's  brook,  to  sing  5 

Of  dread  Jehovah;  then,  should  wood  and  waste 

Hear  also  of  that  name,  and  mercy  cast 

Off  to  the  mountains,  like  a  covering 

Of  which  the  Lord  was  weary.     Weep,  oh!  weep, 

Weep  with  the  good,  beholding  King  and  Priest  10 

Despised  by  that  stern  God  to  whom  they  raise 

Their  suppliant  hands;  but  holy  is  the  feast 

He  keepeth;  like  the  firmament  his  ways: 

His  statutes  like  the  chambers  of  the  deep. 


Part  3 
From  the  Restoration  to  the  Present  Times 

3-1 

I  SAW  the  figure  of  a  lovely  Maid 

Seated  alone  beneath  a  darksome  tree, 

Whose  fondly-overhanging  canopy 

Set  off  her  brightness  with  a  pleasing  shade. 

No  Spirit  was  she;  that  my  heart  betrayed,  5 

For  she  was  one  I  loved  exceedingly; 

But  while  I  gazed  in  tender  reverie 

(Or  was  it  sleep  that  with  my  Fancy  played?) 

The  bright  corporeal  presence — form  and  face — 

Remaining  still  distinct  grew  thin  and  rare,  10 

Like  sunny  mist; — at  length  the  golden  hair, 

Shape,  limbs,  and  heavenly  features,  keeping  pace 

Each  with  the  other  in  a  lingering  race 

Of  dissolution,  melted  into  air. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  163 

3.2 

PATRIOTIC    SYMPATHIES 

Last  night,  without  a  voice,  that  Vision  spake 

Fear  to  my  Soul,  and  sadness  which  might  seem 

Wholly  dissevered  from  our  present  theme; 

Yet,  my  beloved  Country!     I  partake 

Of  kindred  agitations  for  thy  sake;  5 

Thou,  too,  dost  visit  oft  my  midnight  dream; 

Thy  glory  meets  me  with  the  earliest  beam 

Of  light,  which  tells  that  Morning  is  awake. 

If  aught  impair  thy  beauty  or  destroy, 

Or  but  forbode  destruction,  I  deplore  10 

W^ith  filial  love  the  sad  vicissitude; 

If  thou  hast  fallen,  and  righteous  Heaven  restore 

The  prostrate,  then  my  spring-time  is  renewed, 

And  sorrow  bartered  for  exceeding  joy. 


3-3 

CHARLES    THE    SECOND 

Who  comes — with  rapture  greeted,  and  caressed 

With  frantic  love — his  kingdom  to  regain? 

Him  Virtue's  Nurse,  Adversity,  in  vain 

Received,  and  fostered  in  her  iron  breast: 

For  all  she  taught  of  hardiest  and  of  best,  5 

Or  would  have  taught,  by  discipline  of  pain 

And  long  privation,  now  dissolves  amain. 

Or  is  remembered  only  to  give  zest 

To  wantonness. — Away,  Circean  revels! 

But  for  what  gain?  if  England  soon  must  sink  i(V 

Into  a  gulf  which  all  distinction  levels — 

That  bigotry  may  swallow  the  good  name. 

And,  with  that  draught,  the  life-blood:  misery,  shame, 

By  Poets  loathed;  from  which  Historians  shrink! 


164  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


34 

LATITUDINARIANISM 

Yet  Truth  is  keenly  sought  for,  and  the  wind 

Charged  with  rich  words  poured  out  in  thought's  defence; 

Whether  the  Church  inspire  that  eloquence, 

Or  a  Platonic  Piety  confined 

To  the  sole  temple  of  the  inward  mind;  5 

And  One  there  is  who  builds  immortal  lays, 

Though  doomed  to  tread  in  solitary  ways, 

Darkness  before  and  danger's  voice  behind; 

Yet  not  alone,  nor  helpless  to  repel 

Sad  thoughts;  for  from  above  the  starry  sphere  lo 

Come  secrets,  whispered  nightly  to  his  ear; 

And  the  pure  spirit  of  celestial  light 

Shines  through  his  soul — '  that  he  may  see  and  tell 

Of  things  invisible  to  mortal  sight.' 


3-5 

Walton's  book  of  lives 

There  are  no  colours  in  the  fairest  sky 

So  fair  as  these.     The  feather,  whence  the  pen 

Was  shaped  that  traced  the  lives  of  th"ese  good  men, 

Dropped  from  an  Angel's  wing.     With  moistened  eye 

We  read  of  faith  and  purest  charity  5 

In  Statesman,  Priest,  and  humble  Citizen: 

O  could  we  copy  their  mild  virtues,  then 

What  joy  to  live,  what  blessedness  to  die! 

Methinks  their  very  names  shine  still  and  bright; 

Apart — like  glow-worms  on  a  summer  night;  lo 

Or  lonely  tapers  when  from  far  they  fling 

A  guiding  ray;  or  seen — like  stars  on  high. 

Satellites  burning  in  a  lucid  ring 

Around  meek  Walton's  heavenly  memory. 


OF   WII.IJAM    WORDSWORTH  165 

3.6 

CLERICAL    INTEGRITY 

Nor  shall  the  eternal  roll  of  praise  reject 

Those  Unconforming;  whom  one  rigorous  day 

Drives  from  their  Cures,  a  voluntary  prey 

To  poverty,  and  grief,  and  disrespect, 

And  some  to  want — as  if  by  tempests  wrecked  5 

On  a  wild  coast;  how  destitute!  did  They 

Feel  not  that  Conscience  never  can  betray. 

That  peace  of  mind  is  Virtue's  sure  effect. 

Their  altars  they  forego,  their  homes  they  quit, 

Fields  which  they  love,  and  paths  they  daily  trod,  10 

And  cast  the  future  upon  Providence; 

As  men  the  dictate  of  whose  inward  sense 

Outweighs  the  world;  whom  self-deceiving  wit 

Lures  not  from  what  they  deem  the  cause  of  God. 


3-7 

persecution    of    the    SCOTTISH    COVENANTERS 

When  Alpine  Vales  threw  forth  a  suppliant  cry, 

The  majesty  of  England  interposed 

And  the  sword  stopped;  the  bleeding  wounds  were  closed; 

And  Faith  preserved  her  ancient  purity. 

How  little  boots  that  precedent  of  good,  5 

Scorned  or  forgotten.  Thou  canst  testify, 

For  England's  shame,  O  Sister  Realm!  from  wood, 

Mountain,  and  moor,  and  crowded  street,  where  lie 

The  headless  martyrs  of  the  Covenant, 

Slain  by  Compatriot-protestants  that  draw  lO 

From  councils  senseless  as  intolerant 

Their  warrant.     Bodies  fall  by  wild  sword-law; 

But  who  would  force  the  Soul,  tilts  with  a  straw 

Against  a  Champion  cased  in  adamant. 


166  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


3.8 

ACQUITTAL    OF    THE    BISHOPS 

A  VOICE,  from  long-expecting  thousands  sent, 

Shatters  the  air,  and  troubles  tower  and  spire; 

For  Justice  hath  absolved  the  innocent, 

And  Tyranny  is  balked  of  her  desire: 

Up,  down,  the  busy  Thames — rapid  as  fire  5 

Coursing  a  train  of  gunpowder — it  went, 

And  transport  finds  in  every  street  a  vent, 

Till  the  whole  City  rings  like  one  vast  quire. 

The  Fathers  urge  the  People  to  be  still, 

With  outstretched  hands  and  earnest  speech — in  vain!  10 

Yea,  many,  haply  wont  to  entertain 

Small  reverence  for  the  mitre's  offices, 

And  to  Religion's  self  no  friendly  will, 

A  Prelate's  blessing  ask  on  bended  knees. 


3.9 

WILLIAM    THE    THIRD 

Calm  as  an  under-current,  strong  to  draw 

Millions  of  waves  into  itself,  and  run, 

From  sea  to  sea,  impervious  to  the  sun 

And  ploughing  storm,  the  spirit  of  Nassau 

Swerves  not,  (how  blest  if  by  religious  awe  5 

Swayed,  and  thereby  enabled  to  contend 

With  the  wide  world's  commotions)  from  its  end 

Swerves  not — diverted  by  a  casual  law. 

Had  mortal  action  e'er  a  nobler  scope? 

The  Hero  comes  to  liberate,  not  defy;  10 

And,  while  he  marches  on  with  steadfast  hope, 

Conqueror  beloved!  expected  anxiously! 

The  vacillating  Bondman  of  the  Pope 

Shrinks  from  the  verdict  of  his  steadfast  eye. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  167 


3.10 

OBLIGATIONS    OF    CIVIL    TO    RELIGIOUS    LIBERTY 

Ungrateful  Country,  if  thou  e'er  forget 

The  sons  who  for  thy  civil  rights  have  bled! 

How,  like  a  Roman,  Sidney  bowed  his  head. 

And  Russell's  milder  blood  the  scaffold  wet; 

But  these  had  fallen  for  profitless  regret  5 

Had  not  thy  holy  Church  her  champions  bred, 

And  claims  from  other  worlds  inspirited 

The  star  of  Liberty  to  rise.     Nor  yet 

(Grave  this  within  thy  heart!)  if  spiritual  things 

Be  lost,  through  apathy,  or  scorn,  or  fear,  lO 

Shalt  thou  thy  humbler  franchises  support, 

However  hardly  won  or  justly  dear: 

What  came  from  heaven  to  heaven  by  nature  clings, 

And,  if  dissevered  thence,  its  course  is  short. 


3-II 

SACHEVEREL 

A  SUDDEN  conflict  rises  from  the  swell 

Of  a  proud  slavery  met  by  tenets  strained 

In  Liberty's  behalf.     Fears,  true  or  feigned, 

Spread  through  all  ranks;  and  lol  the  Sentinel 

Who  loudest  rang  his  pulpit  'larum  bell,  5 

Stands  at  the  Bar,  absolved  by  female  eyes 

Mingling  their  glances  with  grave  flatteries 

Lavished  on  Him — that  England  may  rebel 

Against  her  ancient  virtue.     High  and  Low, 

Watchwords  of  Party,  on  all  tongues  are  rife;  10 

As  if  a  Church,  though  sprung  from  heaven,  must  owe 

To  opposites  and  fierce  extremes  her  life, — 

Not  to  the  golden  mean,  and  quiet  flow 

Of  truths  that  soften  hatred,  temper  strife. 


168  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


3.12 

Down  a  swift  Stream,  thus  far,  a  bold  design 

Have  we  pursued,  with  livelier  stir  of  heart 

Than  his  who  sees,  borne  forward  by  the  Rhine, 

The  living  landscapes  greet  him,  and  depart; 

Sees  spires  fast  sinking — up  again  to  start!  5 

And  strives  the  towers  to  number,  that  recline 

O'er  the  dark  steeps,  or  on  the  horizon  line 

Striding  with  shattered  crests  his  eye  athwart. 

So  have  we  hurried  on  with  troubled  pleasure: 

Henceforth,  as  on  the  bosom  of  a  stream  10 

That  slackens,  and  spreads  wide  a  watery  gleam, 

We,  nothing  loth  a  lingering  course  to  measure. 

May  gather  up  our  thoughts,  and  mark  at  leisure 

How  widely  spread  the  interests  of  our  theme. 


3-13 

ASPECTS    OF    CHRISTIANITY    IN    AMERICA 
I   THE    PILGRIM    FATHERS 

Well  worthy  to  be  magnified  are  they 

Who,  with  sad  hearts,  of  friends  and  country  took 

A  last  farewell,  their  loved  abodes  forsook, 

And  hallowed  ground  in  which  their  fathers  lay; 

Then  to  the  new-found  World  explored  their  way,  5 

That  so  a  Church,  unforced,  uncalled  to  brook 

Ritual  restraints,  within  some  sheltering  nook 

Her  Lord  might  worship  and  his  word  obey 

In  freedom.     Men  they  were  who  could  not  bend; 

Blest  Pilgrims,  surely,  as  they  took  for  guide  10 

A  will  by  sovereign  Conscience  sanctified; 

Blest  while  their  Spirits  from  the  woods  ascend 

Along  a  Galaxy  that  knows  no  end, 

But  in  His  glory  who  for  Sinners  died. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  169 


3-14 

II    CONTINUED 

From  Rite  and  Ordinance  abused  they  fled 

To  W^ilds  where  both  were  utterly  unknown; 

But  not  to  them  had  Providence  foreshown 

What  benefits  are  missed,  what  evils  bred, 

In  worship  neither  raised  nor  limited  5 

Save  by  Self-will.     Lo!  from  that  distant  shore, 

For  Rite  and  Ordinance,  Piety  is  led 

Back  to  the  Land  those  Pilgrims  left  of  yore, 

Led  by  her  own  free  choice.     So  Truth  and  Love 

By  Conscience  governed  do  their  steps  retrace. —  lO 

Fathers!  your  Virtues,  such  the  power  of  grace. 

Their  spirit,  in  your  Children,  thus  approve. 

Transcendent  over  time,  unbound  by  place, 

Concord  and  Charity  in  circles  move. 


3-15 

III  concluded:  American  episcopacy 

Patriots  informed  with  Apostolic  light 

W'ere  they,  who,  when  their  Country  had  been  freed, 

Bowing  with  reverence  to  the  ancient  creed, 

Fixed  on  the  frame  of  England's  Church  their  sight, 

And  strove  in  filial  love  to  reunite  5 

What  force  had  severed.     Thence  they  fetched  the  seed 

Of  Christian  unity,  and  won  a  meed 

Of  praise  from  Heaven.     To  Thee,  O  saintly  White, 

Patriarch  of  a  wide-spreading  family, 

Remotest  lands  and  unborn  times  shall  turn,  lO 

Whether  they  would  restore  or  build — to  Thee, 

As  one  who  rightly  taught  how  zeal  should  burn, 

As  one  who  drew  from  out  Faith's  holiest  urn 

The  purest  stream  of  patient  Energy. 


170  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 


3.16 

Bishops  and  Priests,  blessed  are  ye,  if  deep 

(As  yours  above  all  offices  is  high) 

Deep  in  your  hearts  the  sense  of  duty  lie; 

Charged  as  ye  are  by  Christ  to  feed  and  keep 

From  wolves  your  portion  of  His  chosen  sheep:  5 

Labouring  as  ever  in  your  Master's  sight. 

Making  your  hardest  task  your  best  delight. 

What  perfect  glory  ye  in  Heaven  shall  reap! — 

But,  in  the  solemn  Office  which  ye  sought 

And  undertook  premonished,  if  unsound  10 

Your  practice  prove,  faithless  though  but  in  thought, 

Bishops  and  Priests,  think  what  a  gulf  profound 

Awaits  you  then,  if  they  were  rightly  taught 

Who  framed  the  Ordinance  by  your  lives  disowned ! 


3-17 

PLACES   OF    WORSHIP 

As  star  that  shines  dependent  upon  star 

Is  to  the  sky  while  we  look  up  in  love; 

As  to  the  deep  fair  ships  which  though  they  move 

Seem  fixed,  to  eyes  that  watch  them  from  afar; 

As  to  the  sandy  desert  fountains  are,  5 

With  palm-groves  shaded  at  wide  intervals, 

Whose  fruit  around  the  sun-burnt  Native  falls 

Of  roving  tired  or  desultory  war — 

Such  to  this  British  Isle  her  Christian  Fanes, 

Each  linked  to  each  for  kindred  services;  10 

Her  Spires,  her  Steeple-towers  with  glittering  vanes 

Far-kenned,  her  Chapels  lurking  among  trees, 

Where  a  few  villagers  on  bended  knees 

Find  solace  which  a  busy  world  disdains. 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  171 

3.18 
PASTORAL   CHARACTER 

A  GENIAL  hearth,  a  hospitable  board, 

And  a  refined  rusticity,  belong 

To  the  neat  mansion,  where,  his  flock  among, 

The  learned  Pastor  dwells,  their  watchful  Lord. 

Though  meek  and  patient  as  a  sheathed  sword;  5 

Though  pride's  least  lurking  thought  appear  a  wrong 

To  human  kind;  though  peace  be  on  his  tongue. 

Gentleness  in  his  heart — can  earth  afford 

Such  genuine  state,  pre-eminence  so  free,  • 

As  when,  arrayed  in  Christ's  authority,  10 

He  from  the  pulpit  lifts  his  awful  hand; 

Conjures,  implores,  and  labours  all  he  can 

For  re-subjecting  to  divine  command 

The  stubborn  spirit  of  rebellious  man? 


3-19 

THE    LITURGY 

Yes,  if  the  intensities  of  hope  and  fear 

Attract  us  still,  and  passionate  exercise 

Of  lofty  thoughts,  the  way  before  us  lies 

Distinct  with  signs,  through  which  in  set  career. 

As  through  a  zodiac,  moves  the  ritual  year  5 

Of  England's  Church;  stupendous  mysteries! 

Which  whoso  travels  in  her  bosom  eyes, 

As  he  approaches  them,  with  solemn  cheer. 

Upon  that  circle  traced  from  sacred  story 

We  only  dare  to  cast  a  transient  glance,  10 

Trusting  in  hope  that  Others  may  advance 

With  mind  intent  upon  the  King  of  Glory, 

From  his  mild  advent  till  his  countenance 

Shall  dissipate  the  seas  and  mountains  hoary. 


172  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

3.20 

BAPTISM 

Dear  be  the  Church,  that,  watching  o'er  the  needs 
Of  Infancy,  provides  a  timely  shower 
Whose  virtue  changes  to  a  Christian  Flower 
A  Growth  from  sinful  Nature's  bed  of  weeds! — 
Fitliest  beneath  the  sacred  roof  proceeds  5 

The  ministration;  while  parental  Love 
Looks  on,  and  Grace  descendeth  from  above 
As  the  high  service  pledges  now,  now  pleads. 
«   There,  should  vain  thoughts  outspread  their  wings  and  fly 
To  meet  the  coming  hours  of  festal  mirth,  lO 

The  tombs — which  hear  and  answer  that  brief  cry, 
The  Infant's  notice  of  his  second  birth — 
Recall  the  wandering  Soul  to  sympathy 
With  what  man  hopes  from  Heaven,  yet  fears  from  Earth. 


3.21 

SPONSORS 

Father!  to  God  himself  we  cannot  give 

A  holier  name!  then  lightly  do  not  bear 

Both  names  conjoined,  but  of  thy  spiritual  care 

Be  duly  mindful:  still  more  sensitive 

Do  Thou,  in  truth  a  second  Mother,  strive  5 

Against  disheartening  custom,  that  by  Thee 

Watched,  and  with  love  and  pious  industry 

Tended  at  need,  the  adopted  Plant  may  thrive 

For  everlasting  bloom.     Benign  and  pure 

This  Ordinance,  whether  loss  it  would  supply,  lO 

Prevent  omission,  help  deficiency. 

Or  seek  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure. 

Shame  if  the  consecrated  Vow  be  found 

An  idle  form,  the  Word  an  empty  sound! 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  173 

3-22 
CATECHISING 

From  Little  down  to  Least,  in  due  degree, 

Around  the  Pastor,  each  in  new-wrought  vest, 

Each  with  a  vernal  posy  at  his  breast. 

We  stood,  a  trembling,  earnest  Company! 

With  low  soft  murmur,  like  a  distant  bee,  5 

Some  spake,  by  thought-perplexing  fears  betrayed; 

And  some  a  bold  unerring  answer  made: 

How  fluttered  then  thy  anxious  heart  for  me, 

Beloved  Mother!     Thou  whose  happy  hand 

Had  bound  the  flowers  I  wore,  with  faithful  tie:  lo 

Sweet  flowers!  at  whose  inaudible  command 

Her  countenance,  phantom-like,  doth  re-appear: 

O  lost  too  early  for  the  frequent  tear. 

And  ill  requited  by  this  heartfelt  sigh! 


3-23 

CONFIRMATION 

The  Young-ones  gathered  in  from  hill  and  dale, 

With  holiday  delight  on  every  brow: 

'Tis  past  away;  far  other  thoughts  prevail; 

For  they  are  taking  the  baptismal  Vow 

Upon  their  conscious  selves;  their  own  lips  speak  5 

The  solemn  promise.     Strongest  sinews  fail. 

And  many  a  blooming,  many  a  lovely,  cheek 

Under  the  holy  fear  of  God  turns  pale; 

W^hile  on  each  head  his  lawn-robed  servant  lays 

An  apostolic  hand,  and  with  prayer  seals  lO 

The  Covenant.     The  Omnipotent  will  raise 

Their  feeble  Souls;  and  bear  with  his  regrets. 

Who,  looking  round  the  fair  assemblage,  feels 

That  ere  the  Sun  goes  down  their  childhood  sets. 


174  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


3-24 

CONFIRMATION    CONTINUED 

I  SAW  a  Mother's  eye  intensely  bent 

Upon  a  Maiden  trembling  as  she  knelt; 

In  and  for  whom  the  pious  Mother  felt 

Things  that  we  judge  of  by  a  light  too  faint: 

Tell,  if  ye  may,  some  star-crowned  Muse,  or  Saint!  5 

Tell  what  rushed  in,  from  what  she  was  relieved — 

Then,  when  her  Child  the  hallowing  touch  received, 

And  such  vibration  through  the  Mother  went 

That  tears  burst  forth  amain.     Did  gleams  appear? 

Opened  a  vision  of  that  blissful  place  10 

Where  dwells  a  Sister-child?     And  was  power  given 

Part  of  her  lost  One's  glory  back  to  trace 

Even  to  this  Rite?     For  thus  She  knelt,  and,  ere 

The  summer-leaf  had  faded,  passed  to  Heaven. 


3-25 

SACRAMENT 

By  chain  yet  stronger  must  the  Soul  be  tied: 

One  duty  mofe,  last  stage  of  this  ascent. 

Brings  to  thy  food,  mysterious  Sacrament! 

The  Offspring,  haply  at  the  Parent's  side; 

But  not  till  They,  with  all  that  do  abide  5 

In  Heaven,  have  lifted  up  their  hearts  to  laud 

And  magnify  the  glorious  name  of  God, 

Fountain  of  Grace,  whose  Son  for  sinners  died. 

Ye,  who  have  duly  weighed  the  summons,  pause 

No  longer;  ye,  whom  to  the  saving  rite  10 

The  Altar  calls;  come  early  under  laws 

That  can  secure  for  you  a  path  of  light 

Through  gloomiest  shade;  put  on  (nor  dread  its  weight) 

Armour  divine,  and  conquer  in  your  cause! 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTM  175 


3.26 

THE    MARRIAGE    CEREMONY 

The  Vested  Priest  before  the  Altar  stands; 

Approach,  come  gladly,  ye  prepared,  in  sight 

Of  God  and  chosen  friends,  your  troth  to  plight 

With  the  symbolic  ring,  and  willing  hands 

Solemnly  joined.     Now  sanctify  the  bands  5 

O  Father! — to  the  Espoused  thy  blessing  give, 

That  mutually  assisted  they  may  live 

Obedient,  as  here  taught,  to  thy  commands. 

So  prays  the  Church,  to  consecrate  a  Vow 

'The  which  would  endless  matrimony  make';  10 

Union  that  shadows  forth  and  doth  partake 

A  mystery  potent  human  love  to  endow 

With  heavenly,  each  more  prized  for  the  other's  sake; 

Weep  not,  meek  Bride!  uplift  thy  timid  brow. 


3.27 

THANKSGIVING    AFTER   CHILDBIRTH 

Woman!  the  Power  who  left  His  throne  on  hig^, 

And  deigned  to  wear  the  robe  of  flesh  we  wear. 

The  Power  that  through  the  straits  of  Infancy 

Did  pass  dependent  on  maternal  care. 

His  own  humanity  with  Thee  will  share,  5 

Pleased  with  the  thanks  that  in  His  People's  eye 

Thou  offerest  up  for  safe  Delivery 

From  Childbirth's  perilous  throes.     And  should  the  Heir 

Of  thy  fond  hopes  hereafter  walk  inclined 

To  courses  fit  to  make  a  mother  rue  10 

That  ever  he  was  born,  a  glance  of  mind 

Cast  upon  this  observance  may  renew 

A  better  will;  and,  in  the  imagined  view 

Of  thee  thus  kneeling,  safety  he  may  find. 


176  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

3.28 

VISITATION    OF    THE    SICK 

The  Sabbath  bells  renew  the  inviting  peal; 

Glad  music!  yet  there  be  that,  worn  with  pain 

And  sickness,  listen  where  they  long  have  lain, 

In  sadness  listen.     With  maternal  zeal 

Inspired,  the  Church  sends  ministers  to  kneel  5 

Beside  the  afflicted;  to  sustain  with  prayer, 

And  soothe  the  heart  confession  hath  laid  bare — 

That  pardon,  from  God's  throne,  may  set  its  seal 

On  a  true  Penitent.     When  breath  departs 

From  one  disburthened  so,  so  comforted,  10 

His  Spirit  Angels  greet;  and  ours  be  hope 

That,  if  the  Sufferer  rise  from  his  sick-bed, 

Hence  he  will  gain  a  firmer  mind,  to  cope 

With  a  bad  world,  and  foil  the  Tempter's  arts. 


3.29 

THE    COMMINATION    SERVICE 

Shun  not  this  rite,  neglected,  yea  abhorred. 

By  some  of  unreflecting  mind,  as  calling 

Man  to  curse  man,  (thought  monstrous  and  appalling). 

Go  thou  and  hear  the  threatenings  of  the  Lord; 

Listening  within  his  Temple  see  his  sword  5 

Unsheathed  in  wrath  to  strike  the  offender's  head. 

Thy  own,  if  sorrow  for  thy  sin  be  dead, 

Guilt  unrepented,  pardon  unimplored. 

Two  aspects  bears  Truth  needful  for  salvation; 

Who  knows  not  that? — yet  would  this  delicate  age  10 

Look  only  on  the  Gospel's  brighter  page: 

Let  light  and  dark  duly  our  thoughts  employ; 

So  shall  the  fearful  words  of  Commination 

Yield  timely  fruit  of  peace  and  love  and  joy. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  177 

3-30 

FORMS    OF    PRAYER    AT    SEA 

To  kneeling  Worshippers  no  earthly  floor 

Gives  holier  invitation  than  the  deck 

Of  a  storm-shattered  V^essel  saved  from  Wreck 

(When  all  that  Man  could  do  availed  no  more) 

By  Him  who  raised  the  Tempest  and  restrains:  5 

Happy  the  crew  who  this  have  felt,  and  pour 

Forth  for  His  mercy,  as  the  Church  ordains. 

Solemn  thanksgiving.     Xor  will  they  implore 

In  vain  who,  for  a  rightful  cause,  give  breath 

To  words  the  Church  prescribes  aiding  the  lip  10 

For  the  heart's  sake,  ere  ship  with  hostile  ship 

Encounters,  armed  for  work  of  pain  and  death. 

Suppliants!  the  God  to  whom  your  cause  ye  trust 

Will  listen,  and  ye  know  that  He  is  just. 


3-31 

FUNERAL    SERVICE 

From  the  Baptismal  hour,  through  weal  and  woe. 

The  Church  extends  her  care  to  thought  and  deed: 

Nor  quits  the  Body  when  the  Soul  is  freed. 

The  mortal  weight  cast  off  to  be  laid  low. 

Blest  Rite  for  him  who  hears  in  faith,  '  I  know  5 

That  my  Redeemer  liveth,' — hears  each  word 

That  follows — striking  on  some  kindred  chord 

Deep  in  the  thankful  heart; — yet  tears  will  flow. 

Man  is  as  grass  that  springeth  up  at  morn. 

Grows  green,  and  is  cut  down  and  withereth  10 

Ere  nightfall — truth  that  well  may  claim  a  sigh, 

Its  natural  echo;  but  hope  comes  reborn 

At  Jesu's  bidding.     W^e  rejoice,  *0  Death 

Where  is  thy  Sting? — O  Grave  where  is  thy  Victory?' 


13 


178  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

3.32 

RURAL   CEREMONY 

Closing  the  sacred  Book  which  long  has  fed 

Our  meditations,  give  we  to  a  day 

Of  annual  joy  one  tributary  lay; 

This  day,  when,  forth  by  rustic  music  led, 

The  village  Children,  while  the  sky  is  red  5 

With  evening  lights,  advance  in  long  array 

Through  the  still  church-yard,  each  with  garland  gay, 

That,  carried  sceptre-like,  o'ertops  the  head 

Of  the  proud  Bearer.     To  the  wide  church-door. 

Charged  with  these  offerings  which  their  fathers  bore  10 

For  decoration  in  the  Papal  time, 

The  innocent  Procession  softly  moves: — 

The  spirit  of  Laud  is  pleased  in  heaven's  pure  clime, 

And  Hooker's  voice  the  spectacle  approves! 


3-33 

REGRETS 

Would  that  our  scrupulous  Sires  had  dared  to  leave 

Less  scanty  measure  of  those  graceful  rites 

And  usages,  whose  due  return  invites 

A  stir  of  mind  too  natural  to  deceive; 

Giving  to  Memory  help  when  she  would  weave  5 

A  crown  for  Hope! — I  dread  the  boasted  lights 

That  all  too  often  are  but  fiery  blights. 

Killing  the  bud  o'er  which  in  vain  we  grieve. 

Go,  seek,  when  Christmas  snows  discomfort  bring, 

The  counter  Spirit  found  in  some  gay  church  10 

Green  with  fresh  holly,  every  pew  a  perch 

In  which  the  linnet  or  the  thrush  might  sing. 

Merry  and  loud  and  safe  from  prying  search. 

Strains  offered  only  to  the  genial  Spring. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  179 

3-34 

MUTABILITY 

From  low  to  high  doth  dissolution  climb, 

And  sink  from  high  to  low,  along  a  scale 

Of  awful  notes,  whose  concord  shall  not  fail; 

A  musical  but  melancholy  chime, 

Which  they  can  hear  who  meddle  not  with  crime,  5 

Nor  avarice,  nor  over-anxious  care. 

Truth  fails  not;  but  her  outward  forms  that  bear 

The  longest  date  do  melt  like  frosty  rime, 

That  in  the  morning  whitened  hill  and  plain 

And  is  no  more;  drop  like  the  tower  sublime  10 

Of  yesterday,  which  royally  did  wear 

His  crown  of  weeds,  but  could  not  even  sustain 

Some  casual  shout  that  broke  the  silent  air, 

Or  the  unimaginable  touch  of  Time. 


3-35 

OLD    ABBEYS 

Monastic  Domes!  following  my  downward  way, 

Untouched  by  due  regret  I  marked  your  fall! 

Now,  ruin,  beauty,  ancient  stillness,  all 

Dispose  to  judgments  temperate  as  we  lay 

On  our  past  selves  in  life's  declining  day:  5 

For  as,  by  discipline  of  Time  made  wise, 

W'e  learn  to  tolerate  the  infirmities 

And  faults  of  others — gently  as  he  may, 

So  with  our  own  the  mild  Instructor  deals, 

Teaching  us  to  forget  them  or  forgive.  10 

Perversely  curious,  then,  for  hidden  ill 

Why  should  we  break  Time's  charitable  seals? 

Once  ye  were  holy,  ye  are  holy  still; 

Your  spirit  freely  let  me  drink,  and  live! 


180  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 


3-36 
EMIGRANT    FRENCH   CLERGY 

Even  while  I  speak,  the  sacred  roofs  of  France 

Are  shattered  into  dust;  and  self-exiled 

From  altars  threatened,  levelled,  or  defiled. 

Wander  the  Ministers  of  God,  as  chance 

Opens  a  way  for  life,  or  consonance  5 

Of  faith  invites.     More  welcome  to  no  land 

The  fugitives  than  to  the  British  strand. 

Where  priest  and  layman  with  the  vigilance 

Of  true  compassion  greet  them.     Creed  and  test 

Vanish  before  the  unreserved  embrace  10 

Of  catholic  humanity: — distrest 

They  came, — and,  while  the  moral  tempest  roars 

Throughout  the  Country  they  have  left,  our  shores 

Give  to  their  Faith  a  fearless  resting-place. 


3-37 

congratulation 

Thus  all  things  lead  to  Charity,  secured 

By  THEM  who  blessed  the  soft  and  happy  gale 

That  landward  urged  the  great  Deliverer's  sail. 

Till  in  the  sunny  bay  his  fleet  was  moored! 

Propitious  hour!  had  we,  like  them,  endured  5 

Sore  stress  of  apprehension,  with  a  mind 

Sickened  by  injuries,  dreading  worse  designed, 

From  month  to  month  trembling  and  unassured, 

How  had  we  then  rejoiced!     But  we  have  felt, 

As  a  loved  substance,  their  futurity:  lO 

Good,  which  they  dared  not  hope  for,  we  have  seen; 

A  State  whose  generous  will  through  earth  is  dealt; 

A  State — which,  balancing  herself  between 

Licence  and  slavish  order,  dares  be  free. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  181 

3-38 

NEW   CHURCHES 

But  liberty,  and  triumphs  on  the  Main, 

And  laurelled  armies,  not  to  be  withstood — 

What  serve  they?  if,  on  transitory  good 

Intent,  and  sedulous  of  abject  gain. 

The  State  (ah,  surely  not  preserved  in  vain!)  5 

Forbear  to  shape  due  channels  which  the  Flood 

Of  sacred  truth  may  enter — till  it  brood 

O'er  the  wide  realm,  as  o'er  the  Egyptian  plain 

The  all-sustaining  Nile.     No  more — the  time 

Is  conscious  of  her  want;  through  England's  bounds,  lO 

In  rival  haste,  the  wished-for  Temples  rise! 

I  hear  their  sabbath  bells'  harmonious  chime 

Float  on  the  breeze — the  heavenliest  of  all  sounds 

That  vale  or  hill  prolongs  or  multiplies! 


3-39 

CHURCH    TO    BE    ERECTED 

Be  this  the  chosen  site;  the  virgin  sod. 

Moistened  from  age  to  age  by  dewy  eve, 

Shall  disappear,  and  grateful  earth  receive 

The  corner-stone  from  hands  that  build  to  God. 

Yon  reverend  hawthorns,  hardened  to  the  rod  5 

Of  winter  storms,  yet  budding  cheerfully; 

Those  forest  oaks  of  Druid  memory, 

Shall  long  survive,  to  shelter  the  Abode 

Of  genuine  Faith.     Where,  haply,  'mid  this  band 

Of  daisies,  shepherds  sate  of  yore  and  wove  l<> 

May-garlands,  there  let  the  holy  altar  stand 

For  kneeling  adoration; — while — above. 

Broods,  visibly  portrayed,  the  mystic  Dove, 

That  shall  protect  from  blasphemy  the  Land. 


182  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

340 

CONTINUED 

Mine  ear  has  rung,  my  spirit  sunk  subdued, 

Sharing  the  strong  emotion  of  the  crowd. 

When  each  pale  brow  to  dread  hosannas  bowed 

While  clouds  of  incense  mounting  veiled  the  rood, 

That  glimmered  like  a  pine-tree  dimly  viewed  5 

Through  Alpine  vapours.     Such  appalling  rite 

Our  Church  prepares  not,  trusting  to  the  might 

Of  simple  truth  with  grace  divine  imbued; 

Yet  will  we  not  conceal  the  precious  Cross, 

Like  men  ashamed:  the  Sun  with  his  first  smile  10 

Shall  greet  that  symbol  crowning  the  low  Pile: 

And  the  fresh  air  of  incense-breathing  morn 

Shall  wooingly  embrace  it;  and  green  moss 

Creep  round  its  arms  through  centuries  unborn. 


341 

NEW   CHURCH- YARD 

The  encircling  ground,  in  native  turf  arrayed, 

Is  now  by  solemn  consecration  given 

To  social  interests,  and  to  favouring  Heaven; 

And  where  the  rugged  colts  their  gambols  played, 

And  wild  deer  bounded  through  the  forest  glade,  5 

Unchecked  as  when  by  merry  Outlaw  driven, 

Shall  hymns  of  praise  resound  at  morn  and  even; 

And  soon,  full  soon,  the  lonely  Sexton's  spade 

Shall  wound  the  tender  sod.     Encincture  small, 

But  infinite  its  grasp  of  weal  and  woe!  10 

Hopes,  fears,  in  never-ending  ebb  and  flow; — 

The  spousal  trembling,  and  the  'dust  to  dust,* 

The  prayers,  the  contrite  struggle,  and  the  trust 

That  to  the  Almighty  Father  looks  through  all. 


^^ 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  183 


342 

CATHEDRALS,  ETC. 

Open  your  gates,  ye  everlasting  Piles! 

Types  of  the  spiritual  Church  which  God  hath  reared; 

Not  loth  we  quit  the  newly-hallowed  sward 

And  humble  altar,  'mid  your  sumptuous  aisles 

To  kneel,  or  thrid  your  intricate  defiles,  5 

Or  down  the  nave  to  pace  in  motion  slow; 

Watching,  with  upward  eye,  the  tall  tower  grow 

And  mount,  at  every  step,  with  living  wiles 

Instinct — to  rouse  the  heart  and  lead  the  will 

By  a  bright  ladder  to  the  world  above.  lO 

Open  your  gates,  ye  Monuments  of  love 

Divine!  thou  Lincoln,  on  thy  sovereign  hill! 

Thou,  stately  York!  and  Ye,  whose  splendours  cheer 

Isis  and  Cam,  to  patient  Science  dear! 


343 

\  inside-  of    king's    college    chapel,    CAMBRIDGE 

Tax  not  the  royal  Saint  with  vain  expense, 

With  ill-matched  aims  the  Architect  who  planned —  l.\- 

Albeit  labouring  for  a  scanty  band 

Of  white-robed  Scholars  only — this  immense 

And  glorious  W'ork  of  fine  intelligence!  x\'^- 

Give  all  thou  canst;  high  Heaven  rejects  the  lore 

Of-jiifely-calculated  less  or  more; 


j^<^' 

^c^' 


So  deemed  the  man  who  fashioned  for  the  sense 
j^<^      These  lofty  pillars,  spread  that  branching  roof  ^ 

V  Self-poised,  and  scooped  into  ten  thousand  cells,  10 

Where  light  and  shade  repose,  where  music  dwells 
Lingering — and  wandering  on  as  loth  to  die; 
Like  thoughts  whose  very  sweetness  yieldeth  proof 
That  they  were  born  for  immortality. 


184  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

344 

THE    SAME 

What  awful  perspective!  while  from  our  sight 

With  gradual  stealth  the  lateral  windows  hide 

Their  Portraitures,  their  stone-work  glimmers,  dyed 

In  the  soft  chequerings  of  a  sleepy  light. 

Martyr,  or  King,  or  sainted  Eremite,  5 

Whoe'er  ye  be,  that  thus,  yourselves  unseen, 

Imbue  your  prison-bars  with  solemn  sheen, 

Shine  on,  until  ye  fade  with  coming  Night! — 

But,  from  the  arms  of  silence — list!  O  list! 

The  music  bursteth  into  second  life;  10 

The  notes  luxuriate,  every  stone  is  kissed 

By  sound,  or  ghost  of  sound,  in  mazy  strife; 

Heart-thrilling  strains,  that  cast,  before  the  eye 

Of  the  devout,  a  veil  of  ecstasy! 


3-45 

CONTINUED 

They  dreamt  not  of  a  perishable  home 

W'ho  thus  could  build.     Be  mine,  in  hours  of  fear 

Or  grovelling  thought,  to  seek  a  refuge  here; 

Or  through  the  aisles  of  Westminster  to  roam; 

Where  bubbles  burst,  and  folly's  dancing  foam  5 

Melts,  if  it  cross  the  threshold;  where  the  wreath 

Of  awe-struck  wisdom  droops:  or  let  my  path 

Lead  to  that  younger  Pile,  whose  sky-like  dome 

Hath  typified  by  reach  of  daring  art 

Infinity's  embrace;  whose  guardian  crest,  10 

The  silent  Cross,  among  the  stars  shall  spread 

As  now,  when  She  hath  also  seen  her  breast 

Filled  with  mementos,  satiate  with  its  part 

Of  grateful  England's  overflowing  Dead. 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  185 


EJACULATION 

Glory  to  God!  and  to  the  Power  who  came 

In  filial  duty,  clothed  with  lo\e  divine, 

That  made  His  human  tabernacle  shine 

Like  Ocean  burning  with  purpureal  flame; 

Or  like  the  Alpine  Mount,  that  takes  its  name  5 

From  roseate  hues,  far  kenned  at  morn  and  even. 

In  hours  of  peace,  or  when  the  storm  is  driven 

Along  the  nether  region's  rugged  frame! 

Earth  prompts — Heaven  urges;  let  us  seek  the  light, 

Studious  of  that  pure  intercourse  begun  10 

When  first  our  infant  brows  their  lustre  won; 

So,  like  the  ^Mountain,  may  we  grow  more  bright 

From  unimpeded  commerce  with  the  Sun, 

At  the  approach  of  all-involving  night. 


347 

CONCLUSION 

Why  sleeps  the  future,  as  a  snake  enrolled. 

Coil  within  coil,  at  noon-tide?     For  the  Word 

Yields,  if  with  unpresumptuous  faith  explored, 

Power  at  whose  touch  the  sluggard  shall  unfold 

His  drowsy  rings.     Look  forth! — that  Stream  behold,  5 

That  Stream  upon  whose  bosom  we  have  passed 

Floating  at  ease  while  nations  have  effaced 

Nations,  and  Death  has  gathered  to  his  fold 

Long  lines  of  mighty  Kings — look  forth,  my  Soul! 

(Nor  in  this  vision  be  thou  slow  to  trust)  10 

The  living  Waters,  less  and  less  by  guilt 

Stained  and  polluted,  brighten  as  they  roll, 

Till  they  have  reached  the  eternal  City — built 

For  the  perfected  Spirits  of  the  just! 


VARIANT  READINGS 

I  have  personally  examined  the  readings  in  the  following  editions: 
1822  {Memorials  of  a  Tour  on  the  Continent,  1820,  and  Ecclesiastical 
Sketches),  1827,  1832,  1835  (Yarrow  Revisited),  1837,  1838,  1840, 
1841,  1842  {Poems,  Chiefly  of  Early  and  Late  Years),  1843,  i845» 
1846,  1850. 

The  reading  first  given  is  the  original  reading  of  the  text. 

When  a  line  has  been  subject  to  change,  the  whole  line  is  quoted. 

At  the  left  of  each  line  is  given  its  number  in  the  sonnet. 

At  the  left  of,  and  preceding,  the  first  line  quoted  is  given  the 
date  of  the  original  reading  of  the  text. 

At  the  right  of  each  line  is  given  the  date  of  the  new  reading, 
which  is  not  quoted  but  is  understood  to  be  the  final  reading  of 
1850,  unless  the  date  is  starred. 

If  the  date  is  starred,  one  asterisk  indicates  a  single  intermediate 
reading;  a  double  asterisk  indicates  a  second  intermediate  reading. 

Below  all  the  original  readings  of  each  sonnet  are  the  intermediate 
readings  of  that  sonnet;  the  final  readings  must  be  sought  in  the 
text  of  the  present  edition,  pp.  120-85. 

Changes  in  spelling,  capitalization,  and  punctuation  are  not 
noted. 

I.I 

1822. 1  I,  who  descended  with  glad  step  to  chase  (until  1827) 

2  Cerulean  Duddon  from  his  cloud-fed  spring,     (until  1850) 

3  And  of  my  wild  Companion  dared  to  sing,         (until  1827) 

4  In  verse  that  moved  with  strictly-measured  pace; 

(until  1827) 

7  'Till  the  checked  Torrent,  fiercely  combating,  (until  1827) 

8  In  victory  found  her  natural  resting-place;        (until  1827) 
13     Where,  for  delight  of  him  who  tracks  its  course,  (until  1837) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  i.i,  p.  81. 
In  the  edition  of  1857  line  2  read  as  in  the  editions  of  1822-1845. 

1.2 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.     For  the  early  MS. 
readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.2,  pp.  81-2. 

1-3 

1822.2  As  Menai's  foam;  and  towards  the  mystic  ring  (until  1827) 
6     That,  in  the  lapse  of  seasons,  hath  crept  o'er    (until  1827) 

186 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS  187 

1-4 

1822.  Title     Druidical  Excovimunication,  &c.  (until  1827) 

12  And  yon  thick  woods  maintain  the  primal  truth, 

(until  1827) 

13  Debased  by  many  a  superstitious  form,  (until  1827) 
For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.4,  p.  105. 

1-5 

1822.5       Of  silently  departed  ages  crossed;  (until  1827) 

9       Nor  these,  nor  monuments  of  eldest  fame,       (until  1841) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.5,  p.  82. 

1.6 

1822.7  Some  pierced  beneath  the  unavailing  shield  (until  *i827) 
*i827.7  Some  pierced  beneath  the  ineffectual  shield  (until  1838) 
For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.6,  p.  83. 

1.7 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.  For  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.7,  p.  loi. 

1.8 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

1.9 
1822.5       Lifting  towards  high  Heaven  her  fiery  brand,  (until  1827) 

1. 10 

1822.3       The  spirit  of  Caractacus  defends  (until  1837) 

4       The  Patriots,  animates  their  glorious  task; —  (until  1837) 

1. 11 

1 822. 1 1      Intent,  as  fields  and  woods  have  given  them  birth, 

(until  1827) 

12  To  build  their  savage  fortunes  only  there;       (until  1827) 

13  Witness  the  foss,  the  barrow,  and  the  girth     (until  1827) 

14  Of  many  a  long-drawn  rampart,  green  and  bare! 

(until  1827) 

1. 12 

1822.10     From  their  known  course,  or  pass  away  like  steam; 

(until  1827) 


188  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1822.4     Where  Tiber's  stream  the  glorious  City  laves;  (until  1827) 

6     His  wing  who  seemeth  lovelier  in  Heaven's  eye  (until  1837) 

14     Sweet  Hallelujahs  to  the  eternal  King!  (until  1827) 

1. 14 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822,  except  for  *i838. 
*i838.8     Chanting  in  barbarous  ears  a  holy  prayer.       (until  1840) 
9     Rich  conquest  over  minds  which  they  would  free 

(until  1840) 
10     Awaits  their  coming: — the  tempestuous  sea    (until  1840) 

1. 15 

1822.10     Towards  the  Truths  this  Delegate  propounds, — 

(until  1832) 

1. 16 

1822.2     "That,  stealing  in  while  by  the  fire  you  sit       (until  1837) 

3  "Housed  with  rejoicing  Friends,  is  seen  to  flit  (until  1837) 

4  "Safe  from  the  storm,  in  comfort  tarrying.        (until  1837) 
For  the  early  MS.  readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.16,  p.  84. 

1. 17 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

1. 18 

1822.6     Then  let  the  good  be  free  to  breathe  a  note       (until  1827) 
9     Outshining  nightly  tapers,  or  the  blaze  (until  1837) 

1. 19 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

1.20 

1 822. 1     Ah,  when  the  PVame,  round  which  in  love  we  clung, 

(until  1837) 
9     For  those  whose  doom  is  fix'd!     The  way  is  smooth 

(until  1832) 

1. 21 

1822.13     Yet,  while  they  strangle  without  mercy,  bring  (unlil  1S37) 

Knight  (P.   W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.20)  says:    'This  and  the  two  fol- 
lowing sonnets  were  published  in   Time's  Telescope,  July  2,   1823.' 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  189 


1.22 


1822.7     Thence  creeping  under  forest  arches  cool,  (until  1837) 

9     Perchance  would  throng  my  dreams.     A  beechen  bowl, 

(until  1827) 
Publislicd  in  Tirnes  Telescope,  July  2,  1823.     See  note  on  1.21. 

1.23 

1822.4       The  hovering  Shade  of  venerable  Bede;  (until  1827) 

7  Of  Learning,  where  he  heard  the  billows  beat  (until  1827) 
In  1 850. 1  there  is  a  typographical  error:  meed  for  mead.  Published 
in  Time's  Telescope,  July  2,  1823.     See  note  on  1.2 1. 

1.24 

1822.7       And  peace,  and  equity. — Bold  faith!  yet  rise  (until  1832) 

8  The  sacred  Towers  for  universal  gains.  (until  1827) 
For  an  early  MS.  reading  similar  in  part,  see  the  reproduction  of 
F,  p.  98. 

1.25 

1822. 1 1  Nor  leaves  her  speech  wherewith  to  clothe  a  sigh 

(until  1827) 

13  With  all  their  Arts — while  classic  Lore  glides  on 

(until  1827) 

1.26 

1822.13     And  Christian  India  gifts  with  Alfred  shares  (until  1827) 

14  By  sacred  converse  link'd  with  India's  clime,  (until  1827) 

1.27 

1822. 1  Can  aught  survive  to  linger  in  the  veins  (until  1837) 

2  Of  kindred  bodies — an  essential  power  (until  1837) 

3  That  may  not  vanish  in  one  fatal  hour,  (until  1837) 

4  And  wholly  cast  away  terrestrial  chains?         (until  1837) 

5  The  race  of  Alfred  covets  glorious  pains  (until  1832) 

9  The  root  sincere — the  branches  bold  to  thrive  (until  1827) 
10  With  the  fierce  storm;   meanwhile,  within  the  round 

(until  1827) 
1.28 

1822.12  So  vaunt  a  throng  of  Followers,  filled  with  pride 

(until  *i838) 
13     In  shows  of  virtue  pushed  to  its  extremes,       (until  1837) 
*  1 838. 1 2  So  vaunt  a  throng  of  Followers,  swoln  with  pride 

(until  1840) 


190  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1.29 

1822.2  Dissention  checks  the  arms  that  would  restrain 

(until  1837) 
4       And  widely  spreads  once  more  a  Pagan  sway;  (until  1837) 

1.30 

1822.6       He  listen'd  (all  past  conquests  and  all  schemes 

(until  1827) 

9       The  Royal  Minstrel,  ere  the  choir  was  still      (until  1827) 

II       Gives  to  that  rapture  a  memorial  Rhyme.       (until  1827) 

1.31 

1822.3  Hark!  'tis  the  Curfew's  knell!  the  stars  may  shine; 

(until  1827) 
14       Brings  to  Religion  no  injurious  change.  (until  1837) 

1.32 

1837.6       Though  men  be,  there  are  angels  that  can  feel 

(until  *i838) 
*  1 838.6     Though  men  be,  there  are  angels  who  can  feel 

(until  1840) 

1-33 

1822.10     Shout  which  the  enraptured  multitude  astounded. 

(until  1827) 

12  "God  willeth  it,"  from  hill  to  hill  rebounded;  (until  1827) 

13  Sacred  resolve,  in  countries  far  and  nigh,  (until  1827) 

14  Through  "Nature's  hollow  arch,"  that  night,  resounded! 

(until  *i827) 
*i.827.i4  Through  "Nature's  hollow  arch"  the  voice  resounds. 

(until  1837) 

1-34 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.     For  the  early  MS. 
readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.34,  pp.  99,  loi. 

1-35 

1822.6       Her  blushing  cheek.  Love's  vow  upon  her  lip,  (until  1827) 

13  Of  those  enthusiast  powers  a  constant  Friend,  (until  1837) 

14  Through  giddier  heights  hath  clomb  the  Papal  sway. 

(until  1837) 

1.36 

1822.9       With  natural  smile  of  greeting. — Bells  are  dumb; 

(until  *i838) 
*i838.9     With  natural  smiles  of  greeting. — Bells  are  dumb; 

(until  **i84o) 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  191 

**i840.9  W'itli  natural  smile  of  greeting. — Bells  are  dumb; 

(until  1845) 
I'^or  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.36,  p.  92. 

1-37 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.  For  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.37,  p.  91. 

1.38 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.  For  the  early  MS. 
readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.38,  pp.  93,  97. 

1-39 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.  For  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  1.39,  p.  92. 

2.1 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published.  Knight  gives  the /ollowing  MS.  readings  (P. 
W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.35-6): 

C.I     Even  when  the  state  of  man  seems  most  secure 

2  And  tempted  least  to  deviate  from  the  line 

3  Of  simple  duty,  woeful  forfeiture 

1  How  difficult  for  man  to  keep  the  line 

2  Prescribed  by  duty!     Happy  once  and  pure 

1  Though  Angels  watched  lest  man  should  from  the  line 

2  Of  duty  sever,  blest  though  he  was,  and  pure 

3  In  thought  and  deed,  a  woeful  forfeiture 

4  He  made  by  wilful  breach  of  law  divine, 

5  The  church  of  Christ  how  prompt  was  she  to  abjure 

6  Allegiance  to  her  Lord  how  prone  to  twine 

5  The  visible  church  how  prone  was  she  to  abjure 

6  Allegiance  to  Christ's  Kingdom  and  entwine 

7  With  glorious  flowers  that  shall  for  aye  endure 

8  W^eeds  on  whose  front  the  world  had  fixed  her  sign. 

9  False  man — if  with  thy  trials  thus  it  fared — 

10  If  good  can  smooth  the  way  to  evil  choice, 

11  From  hasty  answer  be  our  minds  kept  free; 

12  He  only  judges  right  who  weighs,  compares, 

13  And,  in  the  sternest  sentence  that  his  voice 

14  May  utter,  ne'er  abandons  charity. 


192  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

2.2 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonne^ 
was  first  published.  Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  reading  (P.  W.^ 
Eversley  ed.,  7.37) : 

A.I  etc.     On  false  assumption,  though  the  Papal  Power 

Rests,  and  spreads  wide,  beduped,  by  ignorance  hailed, 

A  darker  empire  must  have  else  prevailed, 

For  deeds  of  mischief  strengthening  every  hour. 

Behold  how  thundering  from  her  spiritual  tower 

She  daunts  brute  rapine,  cruelty  she  tames. 

Justice  and  charity  through  her  assert  their  claims, 

And  chastity  finds  many  a  sheltering  bower. 

Realm  is  there  none  that,  if  controlled  or  swayed 

By  her  commands,  partakes  not  in  degree 

Of  good,  on  manners  arts  and  arms  diffused: 

To  mock  thy  exaltation,  Roman  See, 

And  to  the  Autocracy,  howe'er  abused 

Through  blind  ambition,  be  this  tribute  paid. 

2.3 
1822.2       "More  promptly  rises,  walks  with  nicer  heed,    (until  1837) 
9       Doubtless  shall  cheat  full  oft  the  heart's  desire; 

(until  1827) 

2.4 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1835,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published,  with  2.12  and  2.13,  in  the  volume  entitled 
Yarrow  Revisited  and  Other  Poems. 

1822.6       Whose  fervent  exhortations  from  afar  (until  *i838( 

*i838.6     Whose  earnest  exhortations  from  afar  (until  1840 

2.6 

1822.5       Down  to  the  humble  Altar,  which  the  Knight  (until  1837) 
12       And  suffering  under  many  a  doubtful  wound,  (until  1827) 

2.7 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

2.8 

1822. 1        Nor  can  Imagination  quit  the  shores  (until  1845) 

2  Of  these  bright  scenes  without  a  farewell  glance 

(until  1845) 

3  Given  to  those  dream-like  Issues — that  Romance 

(until  *i837) 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  193 

4       Of  inany-colort'd  life  which  Fortune  pours       (until  1837) 
13        W'lien  she  would  tell  how  Good,  and  Brave,  and  Wise, 

(until  1837) 
*i837.3     Given  to  the  dream-like  issues — the  romance  (until  1845) 

2.9 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published. 

2.10 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published.  Knight  gives  the  following  ^IS.  readings  (P.  W., 
Eversley  ed.,  7.43) : 

C.3  Blighted  and  scathed  tho'  many  branches  be, 

4  Can  never  cease  to  bear  and  ripen  fruit 

5  Worthy  of  Heaven.     This  law  is  absolute. 

6  Behold  the  Church  that  often  with  effect 

7  Dear  to  the  Saints  doth  labouring  to  eject 

6  The  Church  not  seldom  surely  with  effect 

7  Dear  to  the  Saints  doth  labour  to  eject 

8  Her  bane,  her  vital  energy  recruit. 

9  So  Providence  ordains  and  why  repine 

10     If  this  good  work  is  doomed  to  be  undone, 

12     Trust  that  the  promises  vouchsafed  will  shine 

14     ...  thro'   .  .  . 

2. II 

1822.9       This  Valdo  brook'd  not.     On  the  banks  of  Rhone 

(until  1837) 
12       Xor  were  his  Followers  loth  to  seek  defence,  (until  1837) 

2.12 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1835,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published,  with  2.4  and  2.13,  in  the  volume  entitled 
Yarro-cv  Revisited  and  Other  Poems. 

2.13 

See  the  note  on  2.12  for  the  circumstances  of  publication. 

1835.5       Nor  be  unthanked  their  tardiest  lingerings      (until  1837) 

6  'Mid  reedv  fens  wide-spread  and  marshes  drear, 

(until  1837) 

7  Their  own  creation,  till  their  long  career  (until  1837) 

8  End  in  the  sea  engulphed.     Such  welcomings  (until  1837) 

9  As  came  from  mighty  Po  when  \'enice  rose,  (until  1837) 
10  Greeted  those  simple  Heirs  of  truth  divine  (until  1837) 
12       Yet  were  prepared  as  glorious  lights  to  shine,  (until  *i837) 

14 


194  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

14       Blest  Prisoners  They,  whose  spirits  are  at  large! 

(until  1838) 
*i837.i2     Yet  came  prepared  as  glorious  lights  to  shine, 

(until  **i838) 
**l838.i2     Yet  well  prepared  as  glorious  lights  to  shine, 

(until  1840) 
2.14 

1 822. 1  These  who  gave  earliest  notice,  as  the  Lark  (until  *i837) 

3  Who  rather  rose  the  day  to  antedate,                (until  1838) 

6  These  Harbingers  of  good,  whom  bitter  hate  (until  *i838) 

7  In  vain  endeavoured  to  exterminate,  (until  1838) 

8  Fell  Oblocjuy  pursues  with  hideous  bark?         (until  1840) 

9  Meanwhile  the  unextinguishable  fire,  (until  1827) 
*i837.i  These  w^ho  gave  early  notice,  as  the  lark   (until  **i838) 

**i838.i     These  had  given  earliest  notice,  as  the  lark  (until  1845) 
*i 838.6     At  length  came  those  Waldensian  bands  whom  Hate 

(until  **i84o) 
**i 840.6     At  length  come  those  Waldensian  bands  whom  Hate 

(until  1845) 
For  the  early  MS.  readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.14,  pp. 
100,  109. 

2.15 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.     For  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  rei)roduction  of  F  2.15,  p.  85. 

2.16 

1822.7       But  mark  the  dire  effect  in  coming  years!        (until  1827) 

8       Deep,  deep  as  hell  itself,  the  future  draught   (until  1827) 

13       And,  under  cover  of  that  woeful  strife,  (until  1827) 

2.17 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.      For  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  V  2.17,  p.  88. 

2.18 
The  text  lias  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

2.19 

1822.7       And  robs  the  People  of  his  daily  care,  (until  1827) 

8  Scorning  their  wants  because  iier  arm  is  strong? 

(until  1827) 

9  Inversion  strange!  that  to  a  Monk,  who  lives  (until  1827) 

12  And  hath  allotted,  in  the  world's  esteem,       (until  *l827) 

13  To  such  a  station  higher  ihan  to  him  (until  1827) 
*I827.I2     That  to  a  Monk  allots,  in  tiie  esteem  (until  1845) 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  195 


2. 20 


1822.9  To  stay  the  precious  waste.      In  every  brain  (until  1H32) 

10  Spreads  the  dominion  of  the  sprig;htly  juice,   (until  1H32) 

11  Through  the  wide  world  to  madding  Fancy  dear, 

(until  1832) 

2.21 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

2.22 

1822.5       Goes  forth — unveiling  timidly  her  cheek  (until  1837) 

7       While  tiirough  the  Convent  gate  to  open  view  (until  1837) 

1822.10  has  a  typographical  error:  Apparitition  for  Apparition. 
It  was  corrected  in  1827. 

2.23 

1822. 1        Yet  some,  Noviciates  of  the  cloistral  shade,    (until  1838) 
2       Or  chained  by  vows,  with  undissembled  glee  (until  1838) 

2.24 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

2.2^ 

1822.7  and  8  have  what  are  presumably  typographical  errors: 
Noon  for  7110011,  and  wain  for  ivanc.  These  were  corrected  in  1827. 
Otherwise  the  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.  F"or  an 
early  MS.  reading  of  lines  7-8,  see  the  reproduction  of  I"  1.2,  p.  82. 
Knight,  P.  W.,  Kversley  ed.,  7.55:  'This  sonnet  was  published  in 
Time's  Telescope,  July  2,  1823,  p.  136.' 

2.26 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

2.27 
1822.13     '^lid  phantom  lakes  bemocking  thirsty  men,  (until  1837) 

2.28 

1822.5       With  farewell  sighs  of  mollified  disdain,  (until  1827) 

For  the  early  MS.  readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  V  2.28,  pp. 
85.  95- 

2.29 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 


196  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

2.30 

1827.2       Than  that  pure  Faith  dissolve  the  bonds  of  Sense; 

(until  1832) 

3  The  Soul  restored  to  God  by  evidence  (until  1832) 

6  That  Faith,  which  to  the  Patriarchs  did  dispense 

(until  1832) 
9       That  Faith,  more  perfect  still,  with  which  the  Lord 

(until  1832) 

2.31 

1822.2       Time-honoured  Chaucer  when  he  framed  the  lay 

(until  *i837) 
*i 837.2     Time-honoured  Chaucer  when  he  framed  that  Lay 

(until  1845) 

2.32 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

2.33 

1827. 1        Melts  into  silent  shades  the  Youth,  discrowned 

(until  1832) 

4  They  cast,  they  cast  with  joy  upon  the  ground 

(until  1832) 

2.34 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1827,  when  the  sonnet  was 
first  published. 

2.35 

1822. 1       Outstretching  flameward  his  upbraiding  hand  (until  1827) 

7  To  the  bare  head,  the  victory  complete;  (until  1837) 
9       Answering  with  more  than  Indian  fortitude,   (until  1837) 

11  Now  wrapt  in  flames — and  now  in  smoke  embowered — 

(until  1827) 

12  'Till  self-reproach  and  panting  aspirations       (until  1827) 

13  Are,  with  the  heart  that  held  them,  all  devoured; 

(until  1827) 

14  The  Spirit  set  free,  and  crown'd  with  joyful  acclamations! 

(until  1827) 
For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.35,  p.  106. 

2.36 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.     For  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.36,  p.  102. 

2.37 

1822.9       With  prurient  speculations  rashly  sown,  (until  1827) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  sec  the  rej)roduction  of  F  2.37,  p.  95. 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  197 

2.38 

1822.9       Meanwhile,  by  prudence  ruled,  glides  slowly  on; 

('until  1827) 

12  For,  wheresoe'er  she  moves,  the  clouds  anon  (until  1845) 

13  Disperse;  or — under  a  Divine  constraint —     (until  1845) 

14  Reflect  some  portion  of  her  glorious  light!  (until  1845) 
For  the  early  MS.  readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.38,  p. 
103. 

2.39 

1822.7  The  Donor's  farewell  blessing,  could  he  dread  (until  1827) 
For  the  early  MS.  readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.39,  p.  89. 

2.40 

1822. 1        Holy  and  heavenly  Spirits  as  they  were,  (until  1827) 

3  With  what  entire  affection  did  they  prize        (until  1827) 

4  Their  new-born  Church!  labouring  with  earnest  care 

(until  1845) 

5  To  baffle  all  that  might  her  strength  impair;  (until  1827) 
10       In  polity  and  discipline  they  sought  (until  1827) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.40,  p.  104. 

2.41 

1822.13     The  Throne  is  plagued;  the  New-born  Church  is  sad 

(until  1827) 

2.42 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.  For  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.42,  p.  99. 

2.43 

The  text  has  not  been  changed  from  its  reading  in  the  Ecclesiastical 
Sketches,  1822.  This  same  year,  however,  it  was  also  published  in 
Memorials  of  a  Tour  on  the  Co7itinent,  1820;  and  there  line  1 1  read 
as  follows: 

Blasts  of  tempestuous  smoke,  with  which  he  tries 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.43,  pp.  86-7. 

2.44 

1 822. 1  Such  contrast,  in  whatever  track  we  move,  (until  *i827) 
*i827.i  Such  is  the  contrast,  which,  where'er  we  move  (until  1832) 
For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  2.44,  pp.  87-8. 


198  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

245 
1822. 1        Pursued  by  Hate,  debarred  from  friendly  care; 

(until  1827) 

3       Long  "in  the  painful  art  of  dying"  tried,         (until  1827) 

6  To  stir  in  useless  struggle)  Laud  relied             (until  1827) 

7  Upon  the  strength  which  Innocence  supplied  (until  1827) 

8  And  in  his  prison  breathed  celestial  air.            (until  1827) 

246 
1822.10     As  good  men  wept  beholding  King  and  Priest  (until  1827) 

3-1 

1822.5       Substance  she  seem'd  (and  that  my  heart  betrayed, 

(until  1837) 

3-2 

1822. 1  Last  night,  without  a  voice,  this  Vision  spake  (until  1845) 

2  Fear  to  my  Spirit — passion  that  might  seem  (until  *i837) 

3  To  lie  dissevered  from  our  present  theme;       (until  1827) 

4  Yet  do  I  love  my  Country — and  partake         (until  1832) 

5  Of  kindred  agitations  for  her  sake;  (until  1832) 

6  She  visits  oftentimes  my  midnight  dream;       (until  1832) 

7  Her  glory  meets  me  with  the  earliest  beam     (until  1832) 

9  If  aught  impair  her  beauty  or  destroy,  (until  1832) 
12  If  she  hath  fallen  and  righteous  Heaven  restore 

(until  1832) 
*i837.2     Fear  to  my  Soul,  and  sadness  that  might  seem  (until  1845) 

In  1840.7  there  seems  to  be  a  typographical  error:  oft  has  been 
inserted  between  me  and  with.  For  an  early  MS.  reading,  see  the 
reproduction  of  F  3.2,  lines  10-14,  P-  95- 

3-3 

1822.10     Already  stands  our  Country  on  the  brink        (until  1837) 

11  Of  bigot  rage,  that  all  distinction  levels  (until  1837) 

12  Of  truth  and  falsehood,  swallowing  the  good  name, 

(until  1837) 
For  the  early  MS.  readings,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.3,  pp. 
94.  95- 

34 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

3-5 

1822.10     Apart — like  glow-worms  in  the  woods  of  spring, 

(until  1827) 
II     Or  lonely  tapers  shooting  far  a  light  (until  1827) 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  199 

12     That  guides  and  cheers, — or  seen,  like  stars  on  high, 

(until  1827) 
In  1827  this  sonnet  was  taken  from  its  place  before  Clerical  Integrity 
and  inserted  after  'Down  a  swift  Stream,  thus  far,  a  bold  design.' 
It  was  not  restored  until  1845. 

3-6 

1822.5  And  some  to  want — as  if  by  tempest  wreck'd  (until  1837) 
1832.13  has  a  typographical  error:  selj-edceiving  for  self-deceiving. 
It  was  corrected  in  1837. 

37 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1827,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published. 

3.8 

1822. 1       A  voice,  from  long-expectant  thousands  sent,  (until  1827) 

10  With  outstretched  hands  and  earnest  voice — in  vain! 

(until  1827) 

3.9 

1822.5       (By  constant  impulse  of  religious  awe  (until  1845) 

1 1  And  while  he  marches  on  with  righteous  hope,  (until  1845) 

In  the  editions  of  1845  and  1850  line  5  was  erroneously  punctuated: 

(Swerves  not,  how  blest  if  by  religious  awe 

For  an  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.9,  lines  4-8, 
p.  96. 

3.10 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822,  except  for  the  cor- 
rection of  a  typographical  error:  lings  in  1822.13  to  clings  in 
1827.13. 

3-II 

1827.7  Mingling  their  Light  with  graver  flatteries,  (until  1832) 
In  1827  this  sonnet  was  inserted  before  Places  of  Worship.  There 
it  remained  until  1845,  when  it  was  removed  to  its  present  place. 

3.12 

This  sonnet  was  first  published  in  1822,  as  one  of  the  Memorials  of 
a  Tour  on  the  Continent,  1820.     There  the  text  read  as  follows: 

Sonnet 

Author's  Voyage  Down  the  Rhine  {Thirty  Years  Ago) 

The  confidence  of  Youth  our  only  Art, 
And  Hope  gay  Pilot  of  the  bold  design, 
We  saw  the  living  Landscapes  of  the  Rhine, 
Reach  after  reach,  salute  us  and  depart; 


200  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

Slow  sink  the  Spires, — and  up  again  they  start! 
But  who  shall  count  the  Towers  as  they  recline 
O'er  the  dark  steeps,  or  on  the  horizon  line 
Striding,  with  shattered  crests,  the  eye  athwart? 
More  touching  still,  more  perfect  was  the  pleasure. 
When  hurrying  forward  till  the  slack'ning  stream 
Spread  like  a  spacious  Mere,  we  there  could  measure 
A  smooth  free  course  along  the  watery  gleam, 
Think  calmly  on  the  past,  and  mark  at  leisure 
Features  which  else  had  vanished  like  a  dream. 

After  thorough  revision,  it  was  republished  in  1827  with  Ecclesi- 
astical Sketches,  where  Wordsworth  inserted  it  to  follow  Obligations 
of  Civil  to  Religious  Liberty;  in  the  rearrangement  of  1845  it  was 
finally  placed  between  Sacheverel  and  Aspects  of  Christianity  in 
America.  The  disappearance  of  the  sonnet  from  Memorials  of  a 
Tour  on  the  Continent,  1820,  subsequent  to  1822,  gave  rise  to  the 
belief  that  it  had  never  been  reprinted.  Professor  Lane  Cooper 
was  the  first  to  indicate  its  relation  to  Eccl.  Son.  See  Wordsworth: 
Variant  Readings,  in  Notes  and  Queries  11  S.  ii.  222  (September  17, 
1910). 

1827.8       Striding  with  shattered  crests  the  eye  athwart. 

(until*i838) 
14       Features  that  else  had  vanished  like  a  dream  (until  1845) 
*i 838.8     Striding  with  shattered  crests  his  eye  athwart. 

(until  **i840) 
**i 840.8     Striding  with  shattered  crests  the  eye  athwart. 

(until  1845) 
Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  reading  (P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.83): 

C.13  .   .   .  sound  at  leisure 

14     The  depths,  and  mark  the  compass  of  our  theme. 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.12,  p.  90. 

3.13,  14.  15 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1842,  when  the  sonnets 
were  first  published  in  the  volume  entitled  Poems,  Chiefly  of  Early 
and  Late  Years.     For  an  unprinted  sub-title  to  3.14,  see  p.  31. 

3.16 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published.     MS.  E  gives  an  early  reading  of  line  i: 

Bishops  and  Priests,  how  blest  are  Ye  if  deep 

3.17 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 


OF  WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  201 

3.18 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822.     I'or  the  early  MS. 
reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.18,  p.  93. 

3.19 

1822.4       Distinct  with  signs,  through  which  in  fixed  career, 

(until  1837) 
9       Enough  for  us  to  cast  a  transient  glance  (until  *E) 

10  The  circle  through;  relinquishing  its  story        (until  *E) 

1 1  For  those  whom  Heaven  hath  fitted  to  advance  (until  *E) 

12  And,  harp  in  hand,  rehearse  the  King  of  Glory — 

(until  *E) 
*E.9       Upon  that  circle,  traced  from  ancient  story,    (until  1845) 

10  There  let  us  cast  a  more  than  transient  glance; 

(until  1845) 

11  With  harp  in  hand  endeavour  to  advance,      (until  1845) 

12  And  mind  intent  upon  the  King  of  Glory —    (until  1845) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.19,  p.  98. 
Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  readings  {P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.89)  : 

C.9       Enough  for  us  to  cast  no  careless  glance 

10  Upon  that  circle,  leaving  Christian  story 

11  To  those  .   .  .  has  .  .  . 

C.9       Here  let  us  cast  a  more  than  Transient  glance, 

10  And  harp  in  hand  endeavour  to  advance, 

11  With  mind  intent  ... 

3.20 

1827. 1        Blest  be  the  Church  that,  watching  o'er  the  needs 

(until  1845) 
4       The  sinful  product  of  a  bed  of  Weeds!  (until  1832) 

3.21 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1832,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published.  Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  readmg, 
which  he  says  was  dated  Dec.  7.  1827  (P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7-90-I): 

B.4  .  .  .  yet  more  sensitive, 

5  More  faithful,  thou,  a  second  INIother, 

7  Watched  at  all  seasons,  and  with  industry 
9  ...   Benign  must  be 

12  ...  "Assurance  doubly  sure." 

14  ...  the  Name  an  empty  sound. 

3.22 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 


202  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

3-23 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1827,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published. 

3-24 
1827.8       And  such  vibration  to  the  Mother  went  (until  1837) 

3-25 

1827.3       Brings  to  thy  food,  memorial  Sacrament!        (until  1845) 

9       Here  must  my  Song  in  timid  reverence  pause:  (until  1845) 

10       But  shrink  not  ye  whom  to  the  saving  rite      (until  1845) 

Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  reading  (P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.93): 

B.2  .  .   .  to  .  .  . 

3.26 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published.  Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  reading  (P.  W., 
Eversley  ed.,  7.94) : 

C.2       Together  they  kneel  down  who  come  in  sight 

3  Of  God  and  chosen  friends  their  troth  to  plight. 

4  This  have  they  done,  by  words,  and  prayers,  and  hands 

This  sonnet  appears  also  in  MS.  E,  with  the  reading  of  the  text 
of  1845. 

3-27 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet  was 
first  published.  The  sonnet  appears  in  MS.  E,  with  the  reading 
of  the  text. 

3.28 

The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet  was 
first  published.  The  sonnet  appears  in  MS.  E,  with  the  reading 
of  the  text. 

3-29 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1845,  when  the  sonnet  was 
first  published.     Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  reading  (P.  W., 
Eversley  ed.,  7.96): 

C.2  ...  as  dealing 

3  With  human  curses,  banish  the  false  feeling. 

4  Go  thou  .  .  .  terrors  .  .  . 

This  sonnet  appears  also  in  MS.  E,  with  the  reading  of  the  text 
of  1845. 

3-30 
The  text  has  remained   unchanged  since   1845,  when  the  sonnet 
was  first  published.    An  early  reading  of  lines  9-10  occurs  in  MS.  E: 

In  vain  who  reverentially  give  breath 

To  words  that  Church  prescribes  aiding  the  lip 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  203 

3-31 
The  text  has  remained   unchanged  since   1845,   when   the  sonnet 
was  first  published.     MS.  E  has  the  following  reading  for  line  2: 
The  Church  attends  her  care  to  thought  and  deed; 

« 

3-32 

1822. 1  With  smiles  each  happy  face  was  overspread, 

(until  *i827) 

2  That  trial  ended.     Give  we  to  a  day  (until  *i827) 

3  Of  festal  joy  one  tributary  lay;  (until  1827) 

4  That  day  when  forth  by  rustic  music  led         (until  1827) 
*i827.i      Content  with  calmer  scenes  around  us  spread  (until  1845) 

2     And  humbler  objects,  give  we  to  a  day  (until  1845) 

Knight  gives  the  following  MS.  reading  (P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7-98): 

C.I  .  •  .  precious  Book  .  .  . 

MS.  E  gives  directions  for  altering  the  first  two  lines  for  the  edition 

of  1845. 

3-33 

1822.5       Giving  the  Memory  help  when  she  would  weave 

(until  1845) 

3-34 

1822.2  And  sinks  from  high  to  low,  along  a  scale        (until  1840) 
12       Its  crown  of  weeds,  but  could  not  even  sustain 

(until  1837) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.34,  p.  108. 

3-35 

1822.8       And  faults  of  others,  gently  as  he  may,  (until^  *i837) 

9       Towards  our  own  the  mild  Instructor  deals,   (until  1837) 

*i 837.8     And  faults  of  others— so,  where'er  he  may      (until  1845) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.35,  p.  106. 

3.36 
1827.14     Give  to  their  Faith  a  dreadless  resting-place,  (until  1837) 

3-37 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

3.38 
1822.14     That  hill  or  vale  prolongs  or  multiplies!  (until  1837) 

3-39 
1822. 1 1     May-garlands,  let  the  holy  Altar  stand  (until  1838) 


204  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

340 

1822. 1  Mine  ear  has  rung,  my  spirits  sunk  subdued,  (until  1827) 

341 

1822.10     But  infinite  its  grasp  of  joy  and  woe!  (until  *i832) 

*  1 832. 10     But  infinite  in  grasp  of  weal  and  woe!  (until  1837) 

For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.41,  p.  108. 

342 

1822.7       Watching,  with  upward  eyes,  the  tall  tower  grow 

(until  1827) 

Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.105:    'This  sonnet  was  published  in 
Time's  Telescope,  September  1823,  p.  260.' 

343 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

344 

1822.2  Their  portraiture  the  lateral  windows  hide,     (until  1827) 

3  Glimmers  their  corresponding  stone-work,  dyed 

(until  1827) 

4  With  the  soft  checquerings  of  a  sleepy  light,  (until  1827) 
For  the  early  MS.  reading,  see  the  reproduction  of  F  3.44,  p.  107. 

345 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

346 
The  text  has  remained  unchanged  since  1822. 

347 
1822.10     (Nor  in  that  vision  be  thou  slow  to  trust)        (until  1827) 


NOTES 

[Wordsworth  himself  has  directed  students  to  StilHngfleet,  Bede,  Daniel, 
Fuller,  Turner,  Whitaker,  Foxe,  Walton,  Strype,  Hume,  Burnet,  and  Uyer: 
his  notes  are  quoted  from  the  Poetical  Works,  Oxford  edition.  Where 
other  obligations  occur,  they  will  be  acknowledged  in  detail.  The  spelling 
and  punctuation  of  prose  passages  have  generally  been  modernized.  Sec- 
ondary references  are  usually  not  given  unless  there  is  reason  to  believe 
that  Wordsworth  was  familiar  with  them.  The  number  in  bold-faced 
type  at  the  left  of  the  note  indicates  the  line  or  lines  concerned.] 

I.I 

1-14  Enough  has  been  said  (pp.  62-78)  to  relate  Wordsworth's 
design  of  a  holv  river  to  one  of  the  main  figures^of  Biblical  and 
classical  literature,  and  to  W'ordsworth's  own  previous  experience, 
both  personal  and  artistic.  Cf.  the  following  references  for  evi- 
dence that  when  he  turned  to  the  opening  pages  of  his_  immediate 
sources  he  found  a  like  figure  dominating  the  material  or  introducing 
the  theme:  Bede,  Ecd.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  pp.  5-6;  Geoffrey  of 
Monmouth,  Hist.  Brit.,  ed.  by  Giles  in  Six  Old  English  Chronicles, 
p.  90;  Camden,  Brit.,  introductory  poem;  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by 
Grosart,  4.86;  Heylin,  Cyp.  Angl,  p.  43;  Fuller,  Holy  War,  Epistle 
Dedicatory;  Drayton,  Polyolhion,  Argument  to  the  First  Song; 
Milton,  P.  L.  1. 10-13;  Dyer, Hist.  Camb.  i.vi-vii.  Cf.  also  Lamb's 
note  on  Drayton,  in  Works,  ed.  by  Macdonald,  9.120;  and  refer  to 
Osgood,  Spenser's  English  Rivers,  in  the  Trans.  Conn.  Acad.  Arts 
and  Sciences  23.65-108,  January,  1920. 

Wordsworth  begins  his  series  in  the  first  person,  as  do  \  irgil, 
Dante,  and  Spenser;  he  is  descriptive,  as  is  Chaucer;  he  is  remi- 
niscent, as  are  Homer  and  Virgil;  allegorical,  with  Dante  and 
Spenser;  and  although  his  theme  and  method  and  design  differ 
from  those  of  Milton,  the  same  lofty  aim  is  at  once  apparent. 

To  supplement  what  has  hitherto  been  said  of  the  structure  of 
Eccl.  Son.,  Drayton's  dedication  of  Polyolhion  may  be  used  as  a 
motto  (lines  4,  10): 

Who,  by  that  virtue  of  the  treble  trine  .  .  . 

And  rule  three  realms  with  triple  power,  like  Jove. 

The  'three  realms'  which  Wordsworth  celebrates  in  Eccl.  Son.  i.i 
are  the  natural,  the  human,  and  the  divine.  His  series.  The  River 
Diiddon,  had  been  published  in  May,  1820;  the  Poems  Dedicated  to 
National  Independence  and  Liberty,  referred  to  in  lines  5-8,  were 
composed  at  intervals  from  1802  to  1837,  and  first  appeared  as  a 
group  in  181 5.     Eccl.  Son.  were  to  constitute  the  third  series. 

205 


206  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

And  not  only  is  the  third  series  a  poem  of  'three  realms,'  and  a 
'treble  trine,'  but  the  first  sonnet  of  it  prefigures  the  tripartite 
grou'ping  of  the  whole,  and  the  sestet  has  a  triple  decoration, 
'pastoral  flowers,'  'laurel,'  'amaranth  and  palms,'  a  probable 
reference  to  the  three  functions  of  tne  church,  its  human  service, 
its  political  responsibility,  and  its  immortal  aim.  In  1816  Words- 
worth had  written  a  similar  passage  {Ode  1814  37-52). 

2  'Cerulean,'  a  word  usually  applied  by  Wordsworth  to  the 
ether  and  to  the  sky,  is  here  applied  to  the  Duddon.  Cf.  also 
Desc.  Seen.  Lakes,  Prose  Works  2.4.1  and  44,  and  Journals  2.200. 

3,4  'Ruled  by  his'  and  'boon  Nature's  grace'  constitute  a 
prelude  to  'meek  doctrines'  (1.3.8)  and  'the  pure  spirit  of  celestial 
light'  (34-12). 

4     Cf.  Virgil,  Georg.  2.485-6. 

6  'Plausive  string'  recalls  the  '  plausive  smile'  of  Phoebus  in 
Malham  8,  a  sonnet  mentioned  in  the  Introduction  (footnote  p.  8) 
as  a  link  between  Excursion  and  Eccl.  Son. 

9-14  The  allegorical  significance  of  these  lines,  undeniable  in 
'laurel,'  'amaranth,'  and  'palms,'  is  probable  in  'pastoral  flowers' 
as  well.  The  fundamental  conception  of  'source'  in  Wordsworth's 
mind  may  be  sought  from  the  adjectives  usual  to  this  word  in  his 
poems  (Cooper,  Concordance  to  the  Poems  of  W.  W.,  p.  903).  They 
are:  far  deeper,  still  deeper,  inexhaustible,  nobler,  loftier,  precious, 
pure,  unquestionable,  sad,  invisible,  pure  and  holy,  abundant, 
sacred,  higher,  profound,  humane  and  heavenly,  humble,  marvel- 
lous, pure,  feeding,  primal,  dread,  happiest.  And  hence  it  is  clear 
that,  however  aware  Wordsworth  was  of  the  'fontis  sacros'  (Virgil, 
Ec.  1.52),  of  the  'fontis  integros'  (Lucretius,  De  Rer.  Nat.  1.927), 
of  the  'fons  Bandusiae'  (Horace,  Carm.  3.13.1),  even  of  'Helicon's 
harmonious  springs'  (Gray,  Progress  of  Poesy  1.1.3),  the  source  of 
the  holy  river  had  been  throughout  his  poetry  such  a  source  as  the 
fountain  of  Psalm  36.9:  'For  with  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life:  in 
thy  light  shall  we  see  light.' 

II     Virgil,  Ec.  9.40-1,  8.13;   Spenser,  F.  Q.  1.1.9. 1-2. 

14     Milton,  P.  L.  3.353-9- 

Immortal  Amarant,  a  Flour  which  once 

In  Paradise,  fast  by  the  Tree  of  Life 

Began  to  bloom,  but  soon  for  mans  off'ence 

To  Heav'n  remov'd  where  first  it  grew,  there  grows, 

And  flours  aloft  shading  the  Fount  of  Life, 

And  where  the  river  of  Bliss  through  midst  of  Heaven 

Rowls  o're  Elisian  Flours  her  Amber  stream. 

Cf.   Misc.  Son.   1.35;    and  Charlotte  Smith's  Elegiac  Sonnets  and 
Other  Poems,  pp.  20,  48:    'fair  Friendship's  amaranth,'  and 

Let  thy  loved  hand  with  palm  and  amaranth  strew 

The  mournful  path  ap|)roaching  to  the  tomb, 

While  Faith's  consoling  voice  endears  the  friendly  gloom. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  207 


1.2 


1-5  Two  early  versions  of  the  first  part  of  this  sonnet  in  MS.  F 
(pp.  81-2)  indicate  that  one  source  may  be  Drayton's  Polyolbion. 
Cf.  the  latter  (Upon  the  Frontispiece): 

Through  a  Triumphant  Arch,  see  Albion  plac'd, 
In  Happy  site,  in  Neptune's  arms  embrac'd, 
In  Power  and  Plenty,  on  her  Cleevy  Throne 
Circled  with  Nature's  Garlands,  being  alone 
Styl'd  th'  Ocean's  Island; 

and  (i.i,  7,  31-4,  41-2): 

Of  Albion's  glorious  Isle  the  wonders  whilst  I  write,  .  .  . 
What  help  shall  I  invoke  to  aid  my  Muse  the  while?  .  .  . 
Ye  sacred  Bards,  that  to  your  harp's  melodious  strings 
Sung  th'  ancient  Heroes'  deeds  (the  monuments  of  Kings) 
And  in  your  dreadful  verse  ingrav'd  the  prophecies, 
The  aged  world's  descents,  and  genealogies;  .  .  . 
I  could  have  wish'd  your  spirits  redoubled  in  my  breast, 
To  give  my  verse  applause,  to  time's  eternal  rest. 

1-2  Fuller's  account  of  the  Bards  {Ch.  Hist.  1.6-7)  contains  a 
suggestion  for  'prophets  .  .  .  past  things,'  and  for  the  title, 
Conjectures:  'The  Bards  were  next  to  the  Druids  in  regard,  and 
played  excellently  to  their  songs  on  their  harps;  \yhereby  they  had 
great  operation  on  the  vulgar,  surprising  them  into  civility  una- 
wares,— they  greedily  swallowing  whatsoever  was  sweetened  \yith 
music.  These  also,  to  preserve  their  ancestors  from  corruption, 
embalmed  their  memories  in  rhyming  verses,  which  looked  both 
backward — in  their  relations,  and  forward — in  their  predictions;  so 
that  their  confidence,  meeting  with  the  credulity  of  others,  advanced 
their  wild  conjectures  to  the  reputation  of  prophecies.' 

3-5  Miss  Melville  {Essay^)  has  suggested  that  Wordsworth 
\vas  indebted  to  the  works  of  Edward  Davies.  Cf.  the  latter's 
Mythology  and  Rites  of  the  British  Druids,  p.  142:  'The  Druids 
represented  the  deluge  under  the  figure  of  a  lake;  .  .^ .  the  deluge 
itself  was  viewed  not  merely  as  an  instrument  of  punishment  .  .  . 
but  also  as  a  divine  lustration,  which  washed  away  the_  bane  of 
corruption,  and  purified  the  earth  for  the  reception  of  t\\^  just  ones, 
or  of  the  deified  patriarch  [Xoah]  and  his  family.  Consequently, 
it  was  deemed  peculiarly  sacred,  and  communicated  its  distin- 
guishing character  to  those  lakes  and  bays  by  which  it  was  locally 
represented.' 

5-8  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.^  1.2:  'Stillingfleet  adduces 
many  arguments  in  support  of  this  opinion,  but  they  are  uncon- 
vincing.'    Cf.   Stillingfleet,   Orig.  Brit.,   p.   37:     '  Eusebius  affirms 

I  An  Introduction  to  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  of  Wordsworth,  with  Notes 
on  the  First  Fifteen.  A  Thesis  presented  to  the  Faculty  of  the  Graduate 
School  of  Cornell  Universitv  for  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  (1914)  by 
Georgina  Melville.    Typewritten  manuscript  in  Cornell  University  Library. 


208  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

.  .  .  that  some  of  the  Apostles  preached  the  Gospel  in  the  British 
Islands.  .  .  .  Much  to  the  same  purpose  Theodoret  speaks, 
another  learned  and  judicious  church  historian.  For  among  the 
nations  converted  by  the  Apostles,  he  expressly  names  the  Britons; 
and  elsewhere  saith  that  St.  Paul  brought  salvation  to  the  Islands 
that  lie  in  the  Ocean,  after  he  had  mentioned  Spain,  and  therefore 
in  all  probability  the  British  Islands  are  understood  by  him.' 

9-10  Stillingfleet  {ibid.,  pp.  37-48)  discusses  at  length  the  right 
of  St.  Paul  or  of  St.  Peter  to  be  known  as  the  founder  of  Christianity 
in  Britain.  After  rejecting  the  evidence  of  Simeon  Metaphrastes 
and  Eysengrenius,  who  decide  for  St.  Peter,  he  concludes  [ibid., 
p.  48)  'that  the  Christian  Church  in  Britain  was  rather  founded 
by  St.  Paul  than  by  St.  Peter  or  any  other  Apostle.'  Cf.  Acts 
12.7,  as  Miss  Melville  notes  {Essay). 

11-12  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.2:  'The  latter  part  of 
this  sonnet  refers  to  a  favorite  notion  of  Roman  Catholic  writers, 
that  Joseph  of  Arimathea  and  his  companions  brought  Christianity 
into  Britain,  and  built  a  rude  church  at  Glastonbury;  alluded  to 
hereafter,  in  a  passage  upon  the  dissolution  of  monasteries.'  Cf. 
Stillingfleet,  op.  cit.,  p.  3:  '  Baronius  .  .  .  [says]  that  Joseph  of 
Arimathea  did  bear  them  company,  and  came  over  into  Britain  to 
preach  the  Gospel.'  'Them'  refers  to  Lazarus,  Mary  Magdalen, 
Martha,  and  Marcella,  whom  Baronius  supposes  to  have  come  to 
Marseilles  in  a  ship  without  oars  {ibid.). 

12-13  Melville,  Essay:  'Cup  of  woe.  An  allusion  to  the  tra- 
dition that  Joseph  had  charge  of  the  cup  from  which  our  Lord 
drank  at  the  Last  Supper,  i.e.,  the  Holy  Grail.' 

14  Stillingfleet  {op.  cit.,  p.  17)  quotes  the  Monasticoti  in  regard 
to  the  charter  of  King  Ine,  but  challenges  this  document,  which 
'makes  the  church  at  Glastonbury,  dedicated  to  Christ  and  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  to  be  the  Fountain  of  all  Religion,  and  the  first  in 
the  kingdom  of  Britain.'  He  concludes:  'I  see  no  ground  to 
believe  that  .  .  .  Joseph  of  Arimathea  .  .  .  had  ever  been  there' 
(ibid.,  p.  26). 

1-3 

I  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.3:  'This  water-fowl  was, 
among  the  Druids,  an  emblem  of  those  traditions  connected  with 
the  deluge  that  made  an  important  part  of  their  mysteries.  The 
cormorant  was  a  bird  of  bad  omen.'  Cf.  Desc.  Seen.  Lakes,  Prose 
Works  2.36-7.  Miss  Melville  (Essay)  cites  Davies  (Mythology  and 
Rites,  p.  510)  for  a  translation  of  Taliesin,  'I  knew  the  eminently 
white  sea-mew  in  Dinbych,'  and  the  ])ertinent  note,  'By  the  de- 
scription which  is  given  of  this  sea-mew,  it  is  evident  he  was  no 
other  than  the  hierophant,  or  chief  Druid.'  Cf.  Drayton's  'un- 
numbered fowl'  (Polyolbion  1.73-4): 

Some,  rising  like  a  storm  from  ofT  the  troubled  sand, 
Some  in  their  hovering  flight  to  shadow  all  the  land. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  209 

Charlotte  Smith,  too,  refers  to  'ospreys,  cormorants,  and  sea-mews' 
{Elegiac  Son.,  p.  51). 

2  Wordsworth  describes  such  '  mystic  rings'  in  Desc.  Seen.  Lakes, 
Prose  Works  249,  note  i,  relating  them  to  Stonehenge  and  Long 
Meg  and  her  Daughters  as  a  'rural  chapel'  is  related  to  a  'stately 
church'  or  'noble  cathedral.'  Cf.  the  proximity  of  Long  Meg  and 
her  Daughters  to  Kings  College  Chapel  in  MS.  F  (pp.  104-7). 

3  Davies,  Mythology  and  Rites,  p.  39:  'And  how  can  these 
Bards  be  said  never  to  have  troubled  themselves  linth  futurity?  The 
first  of  Meugant's  poems  opens  in  the  high  prophetic  style — Dydd 
dyvydd~''T\\Q  day  will  come,"  and  speaks  of  the  Druids  as  true 
prophets.' 

4  Ibid.,  p.  512:  'A  cormorant  approaches  me  with  long  wings. 
She  assaults  the  top  of  the  stone  with  her  hoarse  clamor. — There 
is  wrath  in  the  fates!  Let  it  burst  through  the  stones!'  Cf. 
Charlotte  Smith,  Elegiac  Son.,  p.  17,  lines  9-10: 

No  bird,  ill-omen'd,  round  thy  graceful  head 
Shall  clamour  harsh,  or  wave  his  heavy  wing. 

Cf.  Milton,  P.  L.  4.196. 

5  Davies'  note  {op  cit.,  p.  512)  is  the  source:  'The  cormorant, 
a  bird  of  ill  omen,  denounces  an  approaching  persecution.' 

6-7  The  words  'diluvian'  and  'patriarchal'  occur  frequently  in 
Davies'  book  {op.  cit..  Preface,  p.  vii,  and  pp.  117,  121,  122,  145). 
Cf.  his  Celtic  Researches  on  the  Origin,  Traditions,  and  Language  of 
the  Ancient  Britons,  1804,  p.  119:  'The  religion  of  the  patriarchs 
had,  indeed,  been  deformed  with  various  superstitions,  by  all 
nations.  But  this  order,  notwithstanding  their^  many  and  gross 
errors,  appear  to  have  retained  many  of  its  vital  and  essential 
principles.'  Cf.  also  passages  in  Thomas  Burnet's  Sacred  Theory 
of  the  Earth,  e.g.,  1.292-3. 

8-9  'Meek'  is  the  adjective  applied  to  Herbert,  father  of 
Idonea,  to  Cordelia,  daughter  of  Lear,  to  Mary  Wordsworth,  to 
the  Armenian  Lady,  to  the  dove,  to  the  daisy,  to  an  infant,  to  the 
ass  that  bore  a  cross,  to  Isaak  W'alton,  to  the  loveliness  of  Yarrow 
visited,  to  womanhood,  to  the  Due  d'Enghien,  to  the  Bard,  to  the 
virgin,  to  Michelangelo's  face  of  Christ,  to  the  Egyptian  Maid, 
to  Columba,  to  Una,  to  the  milk-white  lamb,  to  Emily,  to  the  nun, 
to  evening,  to  the  moon,  to  innocency,  to  Rydal  Chapel,  to  Grace 
Darling,  to  John  Wordsworth,  to  Worth,  to  Coleridge,  to  Michel 
Beaupuy,  to  the  glow-worm,  to  the  Wanderer,  to  repentance,  to 
lonely  reading. 

'Doctrine'  is  the  name  for  the  teaching  of  W  yclif  and  of  the 
'eminent  reformers'  of  Eccl.  Son.  2.40,  for  the  learning  of  that 
school  of  Christian  people  of  whom  the  Prioress  tells,  for  the 
'legitimate  union  of  the  imagination,  affections,  understanding,  and 
reason'  with  which  the  Wanderer  closes  book  4  of  The  Excursion. 

15 


210  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

'Transport'  and  'transports'  are  the  accompaniment  of  a  sudden 
meeting,  of  the  return  of  long-exiled  Dion,  of  joy,  of  a  faithless 
heart  and  of  soberness  of  reason  overpowered,  of  the  sight  of 
Norton's  standard  'in  all  its  dread  emblazonry,'  of  the  acquittal 
of  the  Bishops,  of  the  sunset,  of  Grote's  ballot-box,  of  youth,  of 
tumbling  rills,  of  creative  sensibility,  of  communion  with  every 
form  of  creature,  of  the  composition  of  the  preamble  to  The  Prehide, 
of  news  of  the  death  of  Robespierre,  of  a  new-fallen  inheritance, 
of  the  despotism  of  the  bodily  eye,  of  golden  expectations,  freights 
from  a  new  world  of  hope,  of  being  (as  a  presence  or  a  motion,  an 
equal  among  the  mightiest  energies  of  Nature),  of  the  discovery  of 
precious  ore,  of  the  birth  of  a  daughter,  of  a  knock-down  blow  (see 
Cooper,  Concordance  to  the  Poems  of  W.  W. 

In  these  two  lines,  which  have  been  chosen  to  stand  at  the 
beginning  of  this  interpretation  of  Eccl.  Son.  (pp.  1-27),  there  is  a 
powerful  opposition.  That  this  is  not  accidental,  and  not  a  result  of 
Wordsworth's  age  alone,  the  foregoing  list  would  abundantly  indicate. 
Wordsworth's  associations,  from  Peter  Bell  and  Juvenal  on  the  one 
hand  to  Isaak  Walton  and  the  acquittal  of  the  Bishops  on  the 
other,  taught  the  same  lesson  throughout  his  life:  the  respective 
value  of  meek  doctrine  and  transport. 

10-14  'Julian  spear'  and  '  Roman  chains'  may  be  adapted  from 
the  following  passages  in  Davies  {Mythology  and  Rites,  pp.  512-13) : 
'I  warn  thee  to  depart!  Thou  be  prosperous!  Spearmen  with 
vibrating  spears  will  occupy  the  spot.  .  .  .  They  will  break  the 
circle  behind  the  flat  stone  of  Maelwy.  Let  the  multitude  of  our 
friends  retire';  and  (ibid.,  p.  515):  'The  heavy  blue  chain  [the 
deluge]  didst  thou,  O  just  man  [Noah],  endure.'  Cf.  Milton,  Hist. 
Brit.,  ed.  by  Mitford,  in  Works  5.46:  'But  the  gospel,  not  long 
after  preached  here,  abolished  such  impurities,  and  of  the  Romans 
we  have  cause  not  to  say  much  worse,  than  that  they  beat  us  into 
some  civility;  likely  else  to  have  continued  longer  in  a  barbarous 
and  savage  manner  of  life.' 

1.4 

Title,  Druidical  Excommunication.  Although  Miss  Melville 
(Essay)  remarks  upon  the  laxity  with  which  a  word  of  Christian 
connotation  is  applied  to  a  pagan  rite,  she  seems  not  to  have 
noticed  the  following  passage  of  Davies,  whose  italics  might  easily 
have  caught  the  poet's  eye  (Celtic  Researches,  p.  172):  'Amongst 
their  disciples,  these  Druids  could  at  all  times  ensure  peace  by 
holding  up  the  rod  of  excommtinication .' 

1-4  For  evidence  that  this  sonnet  was  originally  intended  to 
follow  Long  Meg  and  her  Daughters,  see  MS.  F  (pp.  104-5).  The 
MS.  version  of  line  3,  and  of  line  7,  '  Did  Priest  and  Lawgiver  and 
Bard  aspire,'  indicates  that  Wordsworth  had  first  read  some  such 
account  as  Davies  gives  (Celtic  Researches,  p.  191):  'The  Bards 
were  Priest  and  Poet.     The  Harp  was  their  inseparable  attribute.' 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  211 

Cf.  Turner  (Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  1.83-4),  ^o  whom  Wordsworth  may 
have  gone  for  the  revision  of  lines  1-4:  'The  Druids  appointed  the 
remunerations,  and  the  punishments.  Whoever  disobeyed  their 
decree  was  interdicted  from  tluir  sacrifices,  which  with  them  was 
the  severest  punishment.  An  interdicted  person  was  deemed  both 
impious  and  wicked;  all  fled  from  him,  and  avoided  his  presence 
and  conversation,  lest  they  should  be  contaminated  by  the  inter- 
course. He  was  allowed  no  legal  rights.  He  participated  in  no 
honors.'  Cf.  also  Southey,  Book  of  the  Church  1.6:  '[The  Druids] 
made  the  people,  at  the  beginning  of  winter,  extinguish  all  their 
fires  on  one  day,  and  kindle  them  again  from  the  sacred  fire  of  the 
Druids,  which  would  make  the  house  fortunate  for  the  ensuing 
year;  and  if  any  man  came  who  had  not  paid  his  yearly  dues,  they 
refused  to  give  him  a  spark,  neither  durst  any  of  his  neighbors 
relieve  him;  nor  might  he  himself  procure  fire  by  any  other  means, 
so  that  he  and  his  family  were  deprived  of  it  till  he  had  discharged 
the  uttermost  of  his  debt.'  Davies,  op  cit.,  p.  172:  'The  wretch 
.    .  .  was  deprived  ...  of  all  social  comfort  and  benefit.' 

5-9  Davies  says  of  Taliesin's  Preiddeu  Annwn,  The  Spoils  of 
the  Deep  {Mythology  and  Rites,  p.  515):  'In  this  first  stanza  we 
find  the  Bard  acknowledging  the  existence  of  one  supreme  God,  and 
declaring  his  resolution  to  adore  him,  because  he  had  shoivn  respect 
to  Givair,  the  just  man,  and  preserved  the  inclosure  of  Caer  Sidi,  in 
which  he  had  shut  him  up,  at  the  time  when  he  extended  his 
dominions  over  the  shores  of  the  world,  or  sent  forth  the  universal 
deluge.  The  Supreme  Being  was,  therefore,  adored  for  his  benef- 
icent providence,  which  had  distinguished  the  just  man,  and  pre- 
served him  through  a  calamity  which  overwhelmed  the  world. 
This,-  I  conceive,  was  a  genuine  principle  of  the  patriarchal  re- 
ligion.' Cf.  Stillingfleet,  Orig.  Brit.,  p.  57,  and  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist. 
1.5-6. 

6     Cf.  Daniel  7.9. 

8-9  Davies  {Mythology  and  Rites,  p.  74),  quotes  Borlase  and 
Strabo:  'The  Druids  were  remarkable  for  justice,  moral  and 
religious  doctrines,  and  skill  in  the  laws  of  their  country.' 

10     'The  coming  storm'  refers  to  the  deluge. 

12  Davies,  ibid.,  p.  87:  'That  they  had  no  knowledge  or  recol- 
lection of  the  Great  First  Cause,  I  will  not  venture  to  assert; 
.  .  .  but  they  saw  him  faintly,  through  the  thick  veil  of  super- 
stition.' Cf.  Drayton,  Polyolbion  1.36:  'darksome  groves';  Soutney, 
Book  of  the  Church  1.3:  'glimmerings  of  patriarchal  faith';  and 
Davies,  Celtic  Researches,  pp.  12 1-2:  'genuine  features  of  primeval 
history.' 

13-14  The  account  of  Druid  cruelty  given  by  Turner  {op.  ciL 
1. 8 1-2)  may  have  caused  the  revision  of  these  two  lines.  Cf.  MS. 
F  (p.  105).  W'ordsworth  addressed  the  same  object  in  Guilt  and 
Sorrow,  stanza  14;  and  in  Prelude  13.312-49. 


212  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

1-5 

1-8  Davies  {Mythology  and  Rites,  p.  302)  mentions  in  the  same 
paragraph  Snowden,  Stonehenge,  Abury,  and  the  temple  of  Clas- 
serniss  in  the  Western  Isles  of  Scotland.  Cf.  the  sestet  of  Eccl. 
Son.  1.2  and  1.5  in  MS.  F  (p.  82).  With  his  own  memory  of  the 
Plain  of  Sarum  and  the  'Pile  of  Stonehenge,'  and  with  Drayton's 
Polyolbion  at  hand,  may  not  Wordsworth  have  turned  to  the  lines 
on  Stonehenge  in  the  latter(3. 57-64)? — 

Conspirator  with  Time,  now  grown  so  mean  and  poor, 
Comparing  these  his  spirits  with  those  that  went  before; 
Yet  rather  art  content  thy  builders'  praise  to  lose, 
Than  passed  greatness  should  thy  present  wants  disclose, 
111  did  those  mighty  men  to  trust  thee  with  their  story, 
Thou  hast  forgot  their  names,  who  rear'd  thee  for  their  glory: 
For  all  their  wondrous  cost,  thou  that  hast  serv'd  them  so, 
What  'tis  to  trust  to  tombs,  by  these  we  eas'ly  know. 

1  Turner,  Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  1. 178-9:  'The  querulous  and  vague 
invectives  of  Gildas  have  been  reduced  to  some  chronology  by 
Bede;  and  the  broken  narrations  of  Nennius  have  been  dramatized 
by  Geoffrey;  but  the  labors  of  Bede  have  not  lessened  the  original 
obscurity  of  Gildas;  and  all  that  the  imagination  of  Geoffrey  has 
effected  has  been  to  people  the  gloom  with  fantastic  shapes,  which 
in  our  search  for  authentic  history  only  make  us  welcome  the 
darkness  that  they  vainly  attempt  to  remove.'  Cf.  Milton,  P.  L. 
345-6. 

2  Dyer  {The  Fleece,  Poems,  p.  70)  speaks  of  the  Brigantes, 
'inhabitants  of  Yorkshire,'  and  {ibid.,  p.  79)  of  'the  sounding  caves 
of  high  Brigantium.' 

5  Cf.  the  proximity  of  'Tradition'  and  'Time'  in  Polyolbion, 
6.298,  300. 

6-8  Wordsworth  {Itin.  Poems  1833  32,  33,  34,  35)  later  cele- 
brates the  Western  Isles  and  lona  in  greater  detail. 

9  As  'monuments  of  eldest  name'  Miss  Melville  suggests  the 
Ruthwell  and  Bewcastle  Crosses. 

10  Among  the  notes  on  Eccl.  Son.  i.io  (p.  218)  a  'lay'  of 
Taliesin  is  quoted  for  its  content. 

11  Stillingfleet  {Orig.  Brit.,  pp.  37-48)  searches  the  following 
writers  of  'characters of  Greek  or  Roman  fame':  Eusebius,  Theod- 
ore^, Jerome,  Clemens  Romanus,  Suetonius,  Pliny,  Tacitus,  Ter- 
tullian,  Origen,  Lactantius,  and  others.  Wordsworth's  famil- 
iarity with  both  Stillingfleet  and  Turner  is  proof  that  he  was 
not  uninformed  on  the  bibliography  of  this  period.  If  'characters' 
refer  to  inscriptions.  Miss  Mehille's  suggestion  will  be  recalled. 
Wordsworth  would  not  have  been  critical  as  to  the  date  of  these 
and  similar  crosses  or  inscriptions. 

12-14     Daniel,  Works,  ed.   by   Grosart,  4.85-6:    'Our  curiosity 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  213 

to  searcli  further  back  into  times  past  than  we  might  well  dis- 
cern, and  whereof  we  could  neither  have  proof  nor  profit.  How 
the  beginnings  of  all  people  and  states  were  as  uncertain  as  the 
heads  of  great  rivers.' 

1.6 

1-4  Eusebius,  Ecd.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Hanmer,  pp.  145-6,  especially: 
'When  that  cursed  hypocrisy  and  dissimulation  had  swum  even 
to  the  brim  of  malice,  the  heavy  hand  of  God's  high  judg- 
ment, after  his  wonted  manner  .  .  .  began  softly  by  a  little  and  a 
little  to  visit  us;  .  .  .  when  as  we  were  touched  with  no  sense  or 
feeling  thereof,  neither  went  about  to  pacify  God,  we  heaped  sin 
upon  sin,  thinking  like  careless  epicures  that  God  neither  cared 
neither  would  visit  our  sins;  .  .  .  then,  I  say  then,  the  Lord  ac- 
cording to  the  saying  of  Jeremiah  {Lament.  2,  5)  "Made  the 
daughter  Sion  obscure,  and  overthrew^  from  above  the  glory  of 
Israel,  and  remembered  not  his  footstool  in  the  day  of  his  wrath. 
The  Lord  hath  drowned  all  the  beauty  of  Israel,  and  overthrown 
all  his  strongholds."  ...  It  was  the  nineteenth  year  of  Diocle- 
tian's reign  .  .  .  when  the  Emperor's  proclamations  were  every- 
where published,  in  which  it  was  commanded  that  the  churches 
should  be  made  even  with  the  ground;  the  holy  Scriptures  by 
burning  of  them  should  be  abolished;  .  .  .  such  as  were  of  families 
if  they  retained  the  Christian  faith  should  be  deprived  of  their 
freedom.  And  such  were  the  contents  of  the  first  edict.  But  in 
the  proclamations  which  immediately  followed  after,  it  was  added 
that  the  pastors  throughout  all  parishes  should  first  be  imprisoned, 
next  with  all  means  possible  constrained  to  sacrifice.' 

6  Does 'field' indicate  the  soldiery?  This  seems  probable  from 
Eusebius'  account  {ibid.,  p.  147):  'Of  the  persecution  first  raised 
by  Veturius,  the  captain,  against  the  Christian  soldiers.  .  .  .  [He] 
first  essayed  only  the  Christians  which  were  in  camp.' 

7-8  Ibid.,  p.  146:  'We  saw  with  our  eyes  the  oratories  over- 
thrown down  to  the  ground,  yea  and  the  very  foundations  them- 
selves digged  up,  the  holy  and  sacred  Scriptures  burned  to  ashes  in 
the  open  market  place,  the  pastors  of  the  churches,  whereof  some 
shamefully  hid  themselves  here  and  there,  some  other  contume- 
liously  taken  and  derided  of  the  enemies.' 

8  Ibid.,  p.  160:  'When  as  the  Ethnickes  solemnized  their 
public  feasts,  and  celebrated  their  wonted  spectacles,  amongst  other 
their  merry  news  and  gladsome  wishes  it  was  commonly  noised 
abroad  that  the  Christians  lately  condemned  to  wild  beasts  made 
all  the  sport  and  finished  the  solemnity.  This  report  being  far  and 
nigh  and  everywhere  bruited  abroad,  young  striplings  to  the  number 
of  six,  .  .  .  joining  hands  and  hearts  together,  .  .  .  went  with 
speed  unto  Urbanus,  who  a  little  before  had  let  loose  the  ravening 
beasts  to  rend  the  Christians  in  pieces,  and  freely  protested  the 
Christian  faith.'  Ibid.,  p.  148:  'Sudden  bickering  with  ravening 
beasts,  .  .  .  the  tusks  of  wild  boars.' 


214  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

9  Ihid.,  p.  152:  'Daily  .  .  .  they  found  out  new  torments, 
contending  one  with  another  who  could  excel  in  spiteful  inven- 
tions and  additions  of  torment.  This  calamity  was  extreme  and 
out  of  measure  cruel.  And  when  as  thenceforth  they  despaired 
of  increasing  their  mischief,  and  now  were  wearied  with  slaughter 
and  got  their  fill  of  bloodshed,  voluntarily  they  rnitigate  their 
rage,  they  practise  courtesy,  tTieir  pleasure  (forsooth)  is  henceforth 
to  punish  with  death  no  longer.  It  is  not  requisite  (say  they) 
that  the  cities  should  be  stained  with  blood,  .  .  .  that  the  most 
noble  empire  of  the  Caesars  should  be  blemished  and  defamed 
with  the  title  of  cruelty,  .  .  .  yea  rather  the  gracious  goodness 
and  clemency  of  the  Emperor's  highness  is  to  be  stretched  forth 
and  enlarged  towards  all  men,  that  they  be  no  more  punished  with 
death.  They  deemed  their  cruelty  assuaged,  and  the  Emperor's 
clemency  to  shine,  in  that  they  commanded  our  eyes  to  be  plucked 
out,  and  the  left  leg  to  be  unjointed.  Such  was  their  clemency 
and  mitigated  cruelty  towards  us.' 

9-14  Bede's  account  of  Alban's  martyrdom  may  be  read  in  the 
English  translation  by  A.  M.  Sellar,  pp.  14-17.  In  the  original 
(ed.  by  Plummer,  1. 18-21)  'minas'  and  'se  .  .  .  ultro  pro  hospite 
.  .  .  offerre'  are  important;  cf.  'Threats'  and  'self-offered  victim' 
(lines  10,  11)  as  instances  of  exact  translation.  Wordsworth's 
note  is  as  follows:  'This  hill  at  St.  Alban's  must  have  been  an  object 
of  great  interest  to  the  imagination  of  the  venerable  Bede,^  who 
thus  describes  it,  with  a  delicate  feeling,  delightful  to  meet  with  in 
that  rude  age,  traces  of  which  are  frequent  in  his  works:  "Yariis 
herbarum  floribus  depictus  imo  usquequaque  vestitus,  in  quo  nihil 
repente  arduum,  nihil  praeceps,  nihil  abruptum,  quem  lateribus 
longe  lateque  deductum  in  modum  aequoris  natura  complanat, 
dignum  videlicet  eum  pro  insita  sibi  specie  venustatis  jam  olim 
reddens,  qui  beati  martyris  cruore  dicaretur." ' 

1.7 
I     Fuller,    Ch.    Ilist.    1.30,    of    the    persecution    of    Diocletian: 
'  Dark  and  tempestuous  was  the  morning  of  this  century,  which 
afterward  cleared  up   to  be  a  fair  day.'     Cf.   Journals  1.3,    1.34, 
2.19;    Ode  1814  109-10;   cf.  also  Virgil,  Georg.  1.393,  422: 

Nee  minus  ex  imbri  soles  et  aperta  serena.  .  .  . 
Avium  concentus  in  agris. 

1-14  My  italics  in  the  following  passages  indicate  Wordsworth's 
indebtedness  to  Hanmer's  translation  of  Kusebius  (Eccl.  Hist.,  pp. 
174-5,  184,  156):  'These  things  [Sabinus'  letters  in  behalf  of  the 
Christians]  being  thus  brought  to  i)ass,  immediately  after  the 
sunbeams  of  peace  shined  brightly  as  if  it  had  been  after  a  dark  or 
misty  night.  Then  might  a  man  have  seen  throughout  every  city 
congregations  gathered  together,  often  Synods,  and  there  wonted 
meeting  celebrated.  .   .   .  Tlie  noble  champions  of  godliness  being 


OF   WII.IJAM    WORDSWORTH  215 

set  at  liberty  from  the  affliction  they  suffered  in  ye  mine  pits 
returned  unto  their  own  home,  i>assing  throughout  every  city  with 
valiant  and  cheerful  courage,  with  unspeakable  joy,  and  replenished 
with  inexplicable  liberty  of  mind.  They  went  in  ye  voyage  and 
return  lauding  God  in  songs  and  psalms  throughout  that  mid  high 
ways,  throughout  the  market-places  and  frequented  assemblies. 
There  mightest  thou  have  seen  them  who  a  little  before  after  most 
grievous  punishments  were  fettered,  and  banished  their  native 
soil,  to  receive  and  enjoy  their  proper  houses,  with  a  cheerful  and 
merry  countenance,  in  so  much  that  they  which  afore  time  cried 
out  against  us,  now  rejoiced  together  with  us  at  this  wonderful 
sight,  happening  beyond  all  men's  expectation.  .  .  .  The  thank- 
fulness of  the  Christians  for  the  peace  granted  unto  them  from 
above  after  the  great  storm  of  persecution.  .  .  .  Justly  therefore 
we  [Eusebius]  place  here  in  a  perfect  number  [Book  lo]  the  ab- 
solute and  solemn  sermon  gratulory  of  the  repairing  of  the 
churches,  obeying  no  doubt  herein  the  Holy  Ghost  commanding 
after  this  sort:  '^ Sing  unto  the  Lord  a  new  song,  because  he  hath 
done  marvelous  things.  With  his  own  right  hand  and  with  his 
holy  arm  hath  he  gotten  himself  the  victory.  The  Lord  hath  showed 
his  salvation:  in  the  sight  of  the  heathen  hath  he  openly  declared 
his  righteousness."  In  so  much  that  these  words  of  ye  Prophet 
require  a  new  song,  of  duty  then  we  must  have  a  song  in  our  mouth, 
because  that  after  uglesome  and  dark  spectacles,  after  thundering 
and  terrible  threats,  we  have  been  thought  worthy  now  to  see  such 
things,  and  to  celebrate  such  solemnities.  ...  Such  things  had  they 
prepared  during  the  whole  time  of  persecution,  which  in  the  tenth 
year  (320)  by  the  goodness  of  God  wholly  ceased,  yet  after  the 
eighth  year  it  began  somewhat  to  slack  and  relent.  For  after  that 
the  divine  and  celestial  grace  of  God  beheld  us  w^ith  a  placable  and 
merciful  countenance,  then  our  princes,  even  they  which  hitherto 
warred  against  us,  after  a  wonderful  manner  changed  their  opinion, 
sang  a  recantation,  and  quenched  that  great  heat  of  persecution, 
with  most  benign  and  7nild  edicts  and  constitutions  published 
everywhere  in  our  behalf.  The  cause  of  this  was  not  the  hutnanity  or 
compassion  {as  I  may  so  term  it)  or  benignity  of  the  princes,  being  far 
otherwise  disposed  (for  they  invented  daily  more  and  more  grievous 
things  against  us  .  .  .),but  the  apparent  countenance  of  the  divine 
providence,  reconciled  unto  his  people,  withstood  the  power  of  mis- 
chief, and  quelled  the  author  of  impiety,  and  the  worker  of  the 
whole  persecution.'  Cf.  Stillingfleet,  Orig.  Brit.,  p.  74:  'The 
Christians  rebuilt  their  churches,  destroyed  to  the  ground,  and 
therein  celebrated  their  Holy  Sacraments,  and  kept  solemn  festivals 
in  memory  of  so  great  a  deliverance.'  If  Wordsworth  referred  also 
to  Bede,  the  words  'construunt'  and  'renovant'  may  have  been 
responsible  for  're-constructed'  and  'renewed'  (lines  5-6).  Cf. 
Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.22. 


216  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1.8 

1-14  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.89-91,  quoting  from 
Tacitus  the  measures  of  Agricola  for  the  subjugation  of  Britain: 
'Advice  was  taken,  saith  he,  that  the  people  dispersed,  rude,  and  so 
apt  to  rebellion,  should  be  inured  to  ease  and  quiet  by  their  pleas- 
ures; and  therefore  they  exhorted  privately,  and  aided  them  publicly 
to  the  building  of  temples,  bourses,  palaces;  commending  whom 
they  found  forward,  and  correcting  the  unwilling,  so  that  the 
emulation  of  honor  was  for  necessity;  then  they  caused  the  prin- 
cipal men's  sons  to  be  taught  the  liberal  sciences,  extolling  their 
wits  for  learning  above  the  Gauls,  in  so  much  as  they  who  lately 
scorned  the  Roman  tongue,  now  desired  eloquence.  Hereupon 
grew  our  habits  in  honor,  the  gown  frequent,  and  by  degrees  a 
general  collapsion  into  those  softenings  of  vices,  fair  houses,  baths, 
and  delicate  banquets;  and  that,  by  the  ignorant,  was  termed  hu- 
manity, when  it  was  a  part  of  servitude.'  The  phrase  'fair  houses, 
baths,  and  delicate  banquets'  is  proof  that  Wordsworth's  source 
here  was  Daniel  rather  than  Turner  ('baths,  porticoes,  and  sensual 
banquets');  but  from  Turner  may  have  come  'luxury,'  'language,' 
and  'letters'  {Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  1.97). 

4-5  Cf.  Coleridge,  Biog.  Lit.,  ed.  by  Shawcross,  1.12:  'I  re- 
member to  have  compared  Darwin's  work  to  the  Russian  palace  of 
ice,  glittering,  cold,  and  transitory.' 

9     Virgil,  yEneid  6.851-3: 

Tu  regere  imperio  populos,  Romane,  memento 
(Hae  tibi  erunt  artes),  pacisque  imponere  morem, 
Parcere  subiectis  et  debellare  superbos. 

II     Ibid.  1.282:    'Gentemque  togatam.' 

14  Daniel  {op.  cit.  4.91)  refers  to  kings  as  'instruments  of 
servitude.' 

1.9 

1-3  Bede  {Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.22)  uses  such  words 
as  'vesaniae,'  'corrupt©,'  'veneno,'  'pestilentiae,'  'hereseos';  and 
Fuller  {Ch.  Hist.  1.43)  says  of  Arianism:  'But  now,  alas!  the 
gangrene  of  that  heresy  began  to  spread  itself  into  this  island.' 

2-5  Bede,  op.  cit.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  21:  '  Pelagius,  a  Briton, 
spread  far  and  near  [longe  lateque]  the  infection  of  his  perfidious 
doctrine,  denying  the  assistance  of  the  Divine  Grace  [contra 
auxilium  gratiae  supernae],  being  seconded  therein  by  his  associate, 
Julianus  of  Campania,  who  was  impelled  by  an  uncontrolled  desire 
to  recover  his  bishopric,  of  which  he  had  been  deprived.' 

4-7  Ibid.,  pp.  2S,  29:  'Nor  were  the  laity  only  guilty  of  these 
things,  but  even  our  Lord's  own  flock,  with  its  shepherds,  casting 
off  the  easy  yoke  of  Christ,  gave  themselves  up  to  drunkenness, 
enmity,  quarrels,  strife,  env>',  and  other  such  sins.  .  .  .  Where- 
upon, not  long  after,  a  more  severe  vengeance  for  their  fearful 
crimes  fell  upon  the  sinful  nation.* 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  217 

8  Turner  (Hist.  A?igl.  Sax.  1. 178-207)  traces  in  detail  the  course 
of  the  Roman  evacuation  and  the  invasion  of  the  Picts  and  Scots; 
the  account  of  Stillingfleet  was  also  available  iOrig.  Brit.,  ch.  5); 
and  in  lines  8-14  Bede's  words  are  closely  followed  {op.  cit.,  ed.  by 
Plummer,  1.26-8):  'non  aliam  ob  causam  quam  si  ipsi  inertia 
solvcrentur,'  'segni  populo,'  'flebili  voce  auxilium  implorantes,' 
'lacrimosis  precibus,*  'sociis,  quos  derelinquere  cogebantur,'  'vale- 
dicunt  sociis  tanquam  ultra  non  reversuri,'  'trementi  corde  stupida,' 
'miserrimc,'  and  'miseri.' 

9-10  Turner,  op.  cit.  1.204,  especially  the  following:  'Constan- 
tine  could  not  repel  the  torrent,  because  the  flower  of  his  army  was 
in  Spain.  Britain  and  Gaul  experienced  all  its  fury.  The  cities 
even  of  England  were  invaded.  To  whatever  quarter  they  applied 
for  help,  the  application  was  vain.'  Cf.  Wordsworth,  Desc.  Seen. 
Lakes,  Prose  Works  2.48-9. 

11-14  Stillingfleet  {op.  cit.,  p.  321)  says  of  the  Saxons:  'At 
first  they  seemed  very  zealous  and  hearty  against  their  common 
enemies,  and  did  great  service  in  beating  the  Picts  and  Scots;  .  .  . 
and  it  is  easy  to  imagine  how  insolent  such  a  barbarous  people 
would  grow  upon  their  success,  when  they  knew  the  Britons  durst 
not  oppose  them.  ...  It  is  certain,  by  what  Gildas  and  Bede  have 
left,  that  these  heats  soon  brake  out  into  open  flames,  to  the  ruin 
and  desolation  of  the  country.'  Cf.  Bede,  op.  cit.,  tr.  by  Sellar, 
pp.  30-1:  'In  a  short  time,  swarms  of  the  aforesaid  nations  came 
over  into  the  island,  and  the  foreigners  began  to  increase  so  much 
that  they  became  a  source  of  terror  to  the  natives  themselves  who 
had  invited  them.  Then,  having  on  a  sudden  entered  into  league 
with  the  Picts,  whom  they  had  by  this  time  repelled  by  force  of 
arms,  they  began  to  turn  their  weapons  against  their  allies.' 

This  collection  of  passages  with  which  Wordsworth  must  have 
been  familiar  in  order  to  compose  Eccl.  Son.  1.9  illustrates  the 
tangle  of  narrative  out  of  which  the  sonnet  grew.  Lucid  and  swift 
as  is  the  Wordsworthian  account  of  the  period,  its  historical  pro- 
portions are  right,  and  it  has  an  allusive  power  both  wide  and  rich. 

1. 10 

1-2  Turner  {Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  1.293-300)  debates  with  Davies 
the  latter's  opinion  {Mythology  and  Rites,  pp.  306-84)  that  the 
Gododin  of  Aneurin  refers  to  the  massacre  of  the  British  by  Hengist 
on  Salisbury  Plain.  Cf.  Stillingfleet,  Orig.  Brit.,  pp.  301,  324: 
'After  the  translation  of  the  British  History  by  Geoffrey,  the 
monkish  historians  generally  follow  that,  as  to  the  success  of  these 
battles,  and  as  to  the  treachery  used  toward  V^ortigern  by  Hengist, 
upon  Salisbury  Plain,  near  Ambresbury;  where  it  is  said  by  Geof- 
frey that  the  Saxons  killed  470  of  the  British  nobility,  under  a 
pretence  of  a  treaty  of  peace.  Nennius  saith  but  300;  arid  that 
Vortigern  was  then  taken,  and  was  forced  to  give  Essex,  Sussex^ 


218  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

and  Middlesex  for  his  redemption.  .  .  .  After  this,  as  Gildas  and 
Bede  tell  us,  finding  their  case  almost  desperate,  the  Britons  were 
resolved  to  sell  their  lives  and  liberties  as  dear  as  they  could,  and 
by  making  a  fierce  assault  upon  their  enemies,  they  began  to  get 
the  better  of  them.'  Wordsworth  knew  GeofiVey;  he  also  knew 
Fuller  {Ch.  Hist.  1.61),  who  refers  to  the  Saxon  perfidy  against  the 
British  at  a  parley  and  banquet  on  Salisbury  Plain.  Drayton 
(Polyolbion  3. 14 1-2)  is  in  accord  with  Geoffrey  and  Fuller.  As  for 
the  Gododin,  Wordsworth  here  sides  with  Davies  against  Turner. 

3-4  Cf.  Milton,  Hist.  Brit.,  ed.  by  Mitford,  in  Works  5.52-3; 
and  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.91-2. 

5-7  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  Hist.  Brit.,  bk.  9,  ch.  4,  ed.  by 
Giles  in  Six  Old  English  Chronicles,  pp.  233-4:  '[Arthur]  addressed 
himself  to  his  followers  in  these  words:  "Since  these  impious  and 
detestable  Saxons  have  disdained  to  keep  faith  with  me,  I  .  .  . 
will  endeavor  to  revenge  the  blood  of  my  countrymen  this  day 
upon  them.  To  arms!  soldiers,  to  arms!  and  courageously  fall 
upon  the  perfidious  wretches,  over  whom  we  shall,  with  Christ 
assisting  us,  undoubtedly  obtain  the  victory."  .  .  .  [Then,  after 
the  exhortation  and  benediction  of  the  archbishop  of  Legions,  he] 
put  on  a  coat  of  mail  suitable  to  the  grandeur  of  so  powerful  a  king, 
placed  a  golden  helmet  upon  his  head,  on  which  was  engraven  the 
figure  of  a  dragon;  and  on  his  shoulders  his  shield  called  Priwen; 
upon  which  the  picture  of  the  blessed  Mary,  mother  of  God,  was 
painted,  in  order  to  put  him  frequently  in  mind  of  her.'  Words- 
worth used  Aaron  Thompson's  translation  of  Historia  Britonum  by 
Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  but  has  borrowed  very  little  from  it  for 
Eccl.  Son.  Thompson  tried  to  prove  Geoffrey  a  more  faithful 
historian  than  he  is  reputed  (see  Giles,  Preface  to  Six  Old  English 
Chronicles,  p.  ix) ;  Wordsworth  has  usually  followed  the  sedater 
chroniclers. 

8-10     Turner  {op.  cit.  1.286)  quotes  a  poem  of  Taliesin  on  Urien: 

Neither  the  fields,  nor  the  woods,  gave  safety  to  the  foe, 

When  the  shout  of  the  Britons  came 

Like  a  wave  raging  against  the  shore — 

I  saw  the  brave  warriors  in  array; 

And  after  the  morning,  how  mangled! 

I  saw  the  tumult  of  the  perishing  hosts; 

The  blood  springing  forward  and  moistening  the  ground. 

Gwenystrad  was  defended  by  a  rampart : 

Wearied,  on  the  earth,  no  longer  verdant, 

I  saw,  at  the  pass  of  the  ford, 

The  blood-stained  men  dropping  their  arms; 

Pale  with  terror! — 

I  admired  the  brave  chief  of  Regcd; 

I  saw  his  reddened  brow, 

When  he  rushed  on  his  enemies  at  Llec  gwen  Calystan: 

Like  the  bird  of  rage  was  his  sword  on  their  bucklers; 

It  was  wielded  with  deadly  fate. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  219 

II  /6/(i.  3.508:  '  Many  of  the  remaining  poems  of  Taiicsin  .  .  . 
show  that  mixture  of  the  ancient  Druidical  feeling  with  their 
Christian  faith.' 

12-14  Davies,  Mythology  and  Rites,  p.  63:  'These  Bards  were 
warriors.'     Cf.  Drayton,  Polyolbion  6.102: 

Plynillimons  high  praise  no  longer  Muse  defer: 

What  once  the  Druids  told,  how  great  those  Floods  should  be 

That  here  (most  mighty  Hill)  derive  themselves  from  thee. 

The  Bards  with  fury  rapt,  the  British  youth  among, 

Unto  the  charming  Harp  thy  future  honor  song 

In  brave  and  lofty  strains. 

Cf.  also  Gray,  The  Bard. 

I. II 

1-3  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  i.ii:  'Alluding  to  the 
victory  gained  under  Germanus.  See  Bede.'  Bede,  Eccl.  Hist., 
tr.  by  Sellar,  pp.  38-9:  'When,  after  the  celebration  of  Easter, 
the  greater  part  of  the  army,  fresh  from  the  font,  began  to  take 
up  arms  [against  the  Saxons  and  Picts]  and  prepare  for  war,  Ger- 
manus offered  to  be  their  leader.  He  picked  out  the  most  active, 
explored  the  country  round  about,  and  observed,  in  the  way  by 
which  the  enemy  was  expected,  a  valley  encompassed  by  hills  of 
moderate  height.  In  that  place  he  drew  up  his  untried  troops, 
himself  acting  as  their  general.  And  now  a  formidable  host  of 
foes  drew  near,  visible,  as  they  approached,  to  his  men  lying  in 
ambush.  Then,  on  a  sudden,  Germanus,  bearing  the  standard, 
exhorted  his  men,  and  bade  them  all  in  a  loud  voice  repeat  his 
words.  As  the  enemy  advanced  in  all  security,  thinking  to  take 
them  by  surprise,  the  bishops  three  times  cried,  "Hallelujah."  A 
universal  shout  of  the  same  word  followed,  and  the  echoes  from  the 
surrounding  hills  gave  back  the  cry  on  all  sides;  the  enemy  was 
panic-stricken,  fearing  not  only  the  neighboring  rocks,  but  even 
the  very  frame  of  heaven  above  them;  and  such  was  their  terror, 
that  their  feet  were  not  swift  enough  to  save  them.  They  fled  in 
disorder,  casting  away  their  arms,  and  well  satisfied  if,  even  with 
unprotected  bodies,  they  could  escape  the  danger;  many  of  them, 
flying  headlong  in  their  fear,  were  engulfed  by  the  river  which 
they  had  crossed.' 

3-5     Ibid.,  p.  31. 

6  Turner,  Hist.  Afigl.  Sax.  3.320,  The  Battle  of  Brunanburh: 
'The  dreary  relics  of  the  darts.'  Cf.  Stillingfleet  (Orig.  Brit.,  p. 
325),  who  quotes  Gildas,  ch.  25;  cf.  also  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by 
Grosart,  4.99-100. 

7  Jeremiah  9.1:  'Oh  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes 
a  fountain  of  tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain 
of  the  daughter  of  my  people! '  Cf.  also  Wordsworth's  Epitaphs  3, 
Prose  Works  2.183. 


220  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

9-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  i.ii:  'The  last  six  lines  of  the 
sonnet  are  chiefly  from  the  prose  of  Daniel;  and  here  I  will  state 
(though  to  the  readers  whom  this  poem  will  chiefly  interest  it  is  un- 
necessary) that  my  obligations  to  other  prose  writers  are  frequent — 
obligations  which,  even  if  I  had  not  a  pleasure  in  courting,  it  would 
have  been  presumptuous  to  shun,  in  treating  an  historical  subject. 
I  must,  however,  particularize  Fuller,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  in 
the  sonnet  upon  \Viclifi"e  and  in  other  instances.  And  upon  the 
acquittal  of  the  Seven  Bishops  I  have  done  little  more  than  versify 
a  lively  description  of  that  event  in  the  MS.  Memoirs  of  the  first 
Lord  Lonsdale.'  Cf.  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.101:  '[Brit- 
ain] having  been  so  long  a  Province  of  great  honor  and  benefit  to 
the  Roman  Empire,  could  not  but  partake  of  the  magnificence  of 
their  goodly  structures,  thermes,  aqueducts,  high-ways,  and  all 
other  their  ornaments  of  delight,  ease,  and  greatness;  all  which 
came  to  be  so  utterly  razed  and  confounded  by  the  Saxons,  as  there 
is  not  left  standing  so  much  as  the  ruins  to  point  us  where  they 
were;  for  they,  being  a  people  of  a  rough  breeding  that  would  not 
be  taken  with  these  delicacies  of  life,  seemed  to  care  for  no  other 
monuments  but  of  earth,  and  as  born  in  the  field  would  build  their 
fortunes  only  there.  Witness  so  many  intrenchments,  mounts, 
and  borroughs  raised  for  tombs  and  defences  upon  all  the  wide 
champions  and  eminent  hills  of  this  isle,  remaining  yet  as  characters 
of  the  deep  scratches  made  on  the  whole  face  of  our  country,  to 
show  the  hard  labor  our  progenitors  endured  to  get  it  for  us.' 

1. 12 

1-2  Turner,  Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  1.322,  note:  '  Brocmail  was  one  of 
the  patrons  of  Taliesin,  who  commemorates  this  struggle: 

I  saw  the  oppression  of  the  tumult;  the  wrath  and  tribulation; 
The  blades  gleaming  on  the  bright  helmets; 
The  battle  against  the  Lord  of  Fame  in  the  dales  of  Hafren; 
Against  Brocvail  of  Powys,  who  loved  my  muse.' 

Davies,  in  the  Appendix  to  Mythology  and  Rites,  p.  502,  prints  a 
similar  version  of  this  song. 

3      Cf.  Homer,  Iliad  6.1 12:  nvrjaaade  Se  6ovpi.dos  aXKTJs. 

4-9  Turner,  op.  cit.  1.321:  'The  Bernician  conqueror,  Ethel- 
frith,  renewed  his  war  with  the  Cymry.  He  reached  Chester, 
through  a  course  of  victory.  Apart  from  the  forces  of  the  Welsh, 
assembled  under  Brocmail,  King  of  Powys,  he  perceived  the  monks 
of  Bangor.'  Wordsworth  (note  on  1.12)  quotes  Turner  as  follows: 
'"Ethelforth  reached  the  convent  of  Bangor;  he  perceived  the 
Monks,  twelve  hundred  in  number,  offering  i)rayers  for  the  success 
of  their  countrymen.  '  If  they  are  praying  against  us,'  he  exclaimed, 
'they  are  fighting  against  us';  and  he  ordered  them  to  be  first 
attacked:  they  were  destroyed;  and,  appalled  by  their  fate,  the 
courage  of  Brocmail  wavered,  and  he  fled  from  the  field  in  dismay. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  221 

Thus  abandoned  by  their  leader,  his  army  soon  gave  way,  and 
Ethelforth  obtained  a  decisive  conquest.  Ancient  Bangor  itself 
soon  fell  into  his  hands,  and  was  demolished;  the  noble  monastery 
was  leveled  to  the  ground  [earth];  its  library,  which  is  mentioned 
as  a  large  one,  the  collection  of  ages,  the  repository  of  the  most 
precious  monuments  of  the  ancient  Britons,  was  consumed;  half 
ruined  walls,  gates,  and  rubbish  were  all  that  remained  of  the 
magnificent  edifice."  See  Turner's  valuable  history  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxons. 

'  Taliesin  was  present  at  the  battle  which  preceded  this  desolation. 

'The  account  Bede  gives  of  this  remarkable  event  suggests  a 
most  striking  warning  against  national  and  religious  prejudices.' 
Cf.  Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  pp.  87-8:  'The  warlike  king  of 
the  English,  ,Ethelfrid,  of  whom  we  have  spoken,  having  raised  a 
mighty  army,  made  a  very  great  slaughter  of  that  heretical  nation, 
at  the  city  of  Legions  [Chester],  which  by  the  English  is  called 
Legacaestir,  but  by  the  Britons  more  rightly  Carlegion.  .  .  .  Thus 
was  fulfilled  the  prophecy  of  the  holy  Bishop  Augustine,  though 
he  himself  had  been  long  before  taken  up  into  the  heavenly  king- 
dom, that  the  heretics  should  feel  the  vengeance  of  temporal  death 
also,  because  they  had  despised  the  offer  of  eternal  salvation.' 

5  Ibid.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.84:  'Quamvis  arma  non  ferant, 
contra  nos  pugnant,  qui  adversis  nos  imprecationibus  persequuntur.' 

9-14  Daniel  {Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.100-1,  102,  103)  says  of 
the  Saxon  invaders:  'And  with  all  these  princes,  and  leaders,  before 
they  could  establish  their  dominions,  the  Britons  so  desperately 
grappled,  as  plant  they  could  not,  but  upon  destruction  and  deso- 
lation of  the  whole  country,  whereof  in  the  end  they  extinguished 
both  the  religion,  laws,  language,  and  all,  with  the  people  and  name 
of  Britain.  .  .  .  But  this  was  an  absolute  subversion,  and  con- 
curred with  the  universal  mutation  which  about  that  time  happened 
in  all  these  parts  of  the  world;  whereof  there  was  no  one  country 
•or  province  but  changed  bounds,  inhabitants,  customs,  language, 
and  in  a  manner,  all  their  names.  .  .  .  Wherefore,  we  are  now  to 
begin  with  a  new  body  of  people,  with  a  new  State  and  government 
of  this  land,  which  retained  nothing  of  the  former,  nor  held  other 
memory  but  that  of  the  dissolution  thereof;  where  scarce  a  city, 
dwelling,  river,  hill,  or  mountain,  but  changed  names.' 

12  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.13:  'E.g.,  in  the  Lake  Dis- 
trict, the  Greta,  Derwent,  etc' 

13  Ibid.:  'E.g.,  in  the  Lake  District,  Stone  Arthur,  Blencathara, 
and  Catbells.' 

1-14  Bede.  Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  82:  '  Xor  must  we  pass 
by  in  silence  the  story  of  the  blessed  Gregory,  handed  down  to  us 
by  the  tradition  of  our  ancestors,  which  explains  his  earnest  care 
for  the  salvation  of  our  nation.     It  is  said   that  one  day,  when 


222  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

some  merchants  had  lately  arrived  at  Rome,  many  things  were 
exposed  for  sale  in  the  market-place,  and  much  people  resorted 
thither  to  buy:  Gregory  himself  went  with  the  rest,  and  saw  among 
other  wares  some  boys  put  up  for  sale,  of  fair  complexion,  with 
pleasing  countenances,  and  very  beautiful  hair.  When  he  beheld 
them,  he  asked,  it  is  said,  from  what  region  or  country  they  were 
brought?  and  was  told,  from  the  island  of  Britain,  and  that  the 
inhabitants  were  like  that  in  appearance.  He  again  inquired 
whether  those  islanders  were  Christians,  or  still  involved  in  the 
errors  of  paganism,  and  was  informed  that  they  were  pagans.  Then 
fetching  a  deep  sigh  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  "Alas!  what  a 
pity,"  said  he,  "that  the  author  of  darkness  should  own  men  of 
such  fair  countenances;  and  that  with  such  grace  of  outward  form, 
their  minds  should  be  void  of  inward  grace."  He  therefore  again 
asked,  what  was  the  name  of  that  nation?  and  was  answered,  that 
they  were  called  Angles.  "Right,"  said  he,  "for  they  have  an 
angelic  face,  and  it  is  meet  that  such  should  be  co-heirs  with  the 
Angels  in  heaven.  What  is  the  name  of  the  province  from  which 
they*  are  brought?"  It.  was  replied,  that  the  natives  of  that 
province  were  called  Deiri.  "Truly  are  they  De  Ira,''  said  he, 
"saved  from  wrath,  and  called  to  the  mercy  of  Christ.  How  is 
the  king  of  that  province  called?"  They  told  him  his  name  was 
Aelli;  and  he,  playing  upon  the  name,  said,  "Allelujah,  the  praise 
of  God  the  Creator  must  be  sung  in  those  parts."'  Cf.  Words- 
worth's remark  on  an  epitaph  which  'brings  home  a  general  truth 
to  the  individual  by  the  medium  of  a  pun'  {Epitaphs  2,  Prose 
Works  2. 1 51). 

1. 14 

3-10  Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.45-6:  '  Veniehant 
crucem  pro  vexillo  ferentes  argenteam,  et  imaginem  Domini  Salvatoris 
in  tabula  depictam,  laetaniasque  canentes  pro  sua  simul  et  eorum, 
propter  quos  et  ad  quos  venerant,  salute  aeterna.  Domino  suppli- 
cabant.' 

10-14  Ibid.  1.78,  where  Bede  quotes  Gregory  (on  Job):  '  Ecce 
lingua  Brittaniae,  quae  nil  aliud  novcrat  quam  barbaru?n  frendere, 
iam  dudum  in  divinis  laudibus  Hebreum  coepit  alleluia  resonare. 
Ecce  quondam  tumidus,  iam  siihstratus  sanctorum  pedihus  servit 
oceanus,  eiusque  barbaros  motus,  quos  terreni  principes  cdoriiare  ferro 
neqiiiverant,  hos  pro  divina  formidine  sacerdotum  ora  simplicibus 
verbis  ligant,  et  qui  catervas  pugnantium  infidelis  nequaquam 
metueret,  iam  nunc  fidelis  htcmilinm  linguas  timet.'  Cf.  Bede's 
remark  on  the  coming  of  Germanus  and  Severus  {ibid.  1.40): 
'Occurrit  inscia  multitudo,  confestim  benedictio  et  sermonis  divini 
doctrina  profunditur.'  Cf.  also  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart, 
4.103,  especially  the  following:  *.  .  .  when  their  stern  asperity 
grew  mollified  by  humility  of  the  religion.'  My  italics  indicate 
Wordsworth's  indebtedness  and  his  skill  in  translation. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  223 

1. 15 

1-3  Bcde  {Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1. 108-10;  tr.  by  Scllar, 
pp.  1 13-14).  after  describing  Kdwin's  peril  of  death  from  Redwald, 
says:  'Edwin  remained  alone  without,  and  sitting  with  a  heavy 
heart  [mestus]  before  the  palace,  began  to  be  overwhelmed  with 
many  thoughts,  not  knowing  what  to  do,  or  which  way  to  turn. 
When  he  had  remained  a  long  time  in  silent  anguish  of  mind 
[mentis  angoribus],  .  .  .  troubled  [mestus]  and  wakeful  .  .  .'  Here 
follows  the  account  of  the  spirit  appearing  to  comfort  and  direct 
the  royal  youth. 

4-9  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.15:  'The  person  of 
Paulinus  is  thus  described  by  Bede,  from  the  memory  of  an  eye- 
witness: "Longae  staturae,  paululum  incurvus,  nigro  capillo,  facie 
macilenta,  naso  adunco,  pertenui,  venerabilis  simul  et  terribilis 
aspectu.'"  Op.  cit.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.117.  Cf.  the  description  of 
the  elder  Norton  {White  Doe  744-5):   'A  face  to  fear  and  venerate.' 

9-14  Turner,  Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  1.344-5:  'The  vicissitudes  of 
Edwin's  life  had  indued  his  mind  with  a  contemplative  temper, 
which  made  him  more  intellectual  than  any  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
kings  that  had  preceded  him,  and  which  fitted  him  for  the  recep- 
tion of  Christianity.  His  progress  towards  this  revolution  of  mind 
was  gradual,  and  the  steps  have  been  clearly  narrated  by  his 
countryman  Bede.'  Cf.  Bede,  op.  cit.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  115:  'King 
Edwin,  therefore,  delaying  to  receive  the  Word  of  God  at  the 
preaching  of  Paulinus,  and  being  wont  for  some  time,  as  has  been 
said,  to  sit  many  hours  alone,  and  seriously  to  ponder  with  himself 
what  he  was  to  do,  and  what  religion  he  was  to  follow,  the  man  of 
God  came  to  him  one  day,  laid  his  right  hand  on  his  head,  and  asked 
whether  he  knew  that  sign.' 

11-13  Ihid.,  pp.  103,  105:  'Xor  did  he  refuse  to  accept  that 
religion  himself,  if,  being  examined  by  wise  men,  it  should  be  found 
more  holy  and  more  worthy  of  God.  .  .  .  He  would  not  imme- 
diately and  unadvisedly  embrace  the  mysteries  of  the  Christian 
faith,  though  he  no  longer  worshipped  idols,  ever  since  he  made 
the  promise  that  he  would  serve  Christ;  but  first  took  heed  ear- 
nestly to  be  instructed  at  leisure  by  the  venerable  Paulinus.  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  faith,  and  to  confer  with  such  as  he  knew  to  be 
the  wisest  of  his  chief  men,  inquiring  what  they  thought  was  fittest 
to  be  done  in  that  case.  And  being  a  man  of  great  natural  sagacity, 
he  often  sat  alone  by  himself  a  long  time  in  silence,  deliberating 
in  the  depths  of  his  heart  how  he  should  proceed,  and  to  which 
religion  he  should  adhere.' 

13-14  Ibid.,  p.  116:  'Holding  a  council  with  the  wise  men,  he 
asked  of  every  one  in  particular  what  he  thought  of  this  doctrine 
hitherto  unknown  to  them,  and  the  new  worship  of  God  that 
was  preached.' 


224  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1.16 

1-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  EccL  Son.  1.16:  'See  the  original  of 
this  speech  in  Bede.'  Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  pp.  11 6-7: 
'  "The  present  life  of  man  upon  earth,  O  King,  seems  to  me,  in 
comparison  with  that  time  which  is  unknown  to  us,  like  to  the 
swift  flight  of  a  sparrow  through  the  house  wherein  you  sit  at 
supper  in  winter,  with  your  ealdormen  and  thegns,  while  the  fire 
blazes  in  the  midst,  and  the  hall  is  warmed,  but  the  \vintry  storms 
of  rain  or  snow  are  raging  abroad.  The  sparrow,  flying  in  at  one 
door  and  immediately  out  at  another,  whilst  he  is  within,  is  safe 
from  the  wintry  tempest;  but  after  a  short  space  of  fair  weather, 
he. immediately  vanishes  out  of  your  sight,  passing  from  winter 
into  winter  again.  So  this  life  of  man  appears  for  a  little  while, 
but  of  what  is  to  follow  or  what  went  before  we  know  nothing  at 
all.  If,  therefore,  this  new  doctrine  tells  us  something  more  certain, 
it  seems  justly  to  deserve  to  be  followed."  '  Wordsworth,  however, 
saw  this  speech  first  in  Fuller's  Church  History,  as  is  proved  by 
comparing  MS.  F  (p.  84)  with  Fuller's  translation  (1.109): 
'  "Man's  life,"  said  he,  "O  King,  is  like  unto  a  little  sparrow, 
which,  whilst  your  majesty  is  feasting  by  the  fire  in  your  parlor 
with  your  royal  retinue,  flies  in  at  one  window,  and  out  at  another. 
Indeed,  we  see  it  that  short  time  it  remaineth  in  the  house,  and  then 
is  it  well  sheltered  from  wind  and  weather;  but  presently  it  passeth 
from  cold  to  cold;  and  whence  it  came,  and  whither  it  goes,  we 
are  altogether  ignorant.  Thus,  we  can  give  some  account  of  our 
soul  during  its  abode  in  the  body,  whilst  housed  and  harbored 
therein;  but  where  it  was  before,  and  how  it  fareth  after,  is  to  us 
altogether  unknown.  If  therefore  Paulinus's  preaching  will  cer- 
tainly inform  us  herein,  he  deserveth,  in  my  opinion,  to  be  enter- 
tained.' But  there  are  two  versions  in  MS.  F.  It  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  change  from  '  Man's  life  is  like  a  sparrow, 
Mighty  King'  to  'The  life  of  man  may  be  compared,  O  King'  was 
made  after  Wordsworth  had  read  in  Bede  {op.  cit.,  ed.  by  Plum- 
mer,  1.112)  the  original  'ad  comparatio7ieni.'  The  second  reading, 
however,  was  not  retained.' 

1-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.16:  'The  conversion  of 
Edwin,  as  related  by  him  [Bede],  is  highly  interesting — and  the 
breaking  up  of  this  Council  accompanied  with  an  event  so  striking 
and  characteristic,  that  I  am  tempted  to  give  it  at  length  in  a 
translation.  "  'Who,'  exclaimed  the  King,  when  the  Council  was 
ended,  'shall  first  desecrate  the  altars  and  the  temples?'  'I,* 
answered  the  Chief  Priest;  'for  who  more  fit  than  myself,  through 
the  wisdom  which  the  true  God  hath  given  me,  to  destroy,  for  the 
good  example  of  others,  what  in  foolishness  I  worshijiped?  '  Imme- 
diately, casting  away  vain  superstition,  he  besought  the  King  to 
grant  him  what  the  laws  did  not  allow  to  a  priest,  arms  and  a 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  225 

courser  (equum  cinissarium) ;  which  mounting,  and  furnished 
with  a  sword  and  lance,  he  proceeded  to  destroy  the  Idols.  The 
crowd,  seeing  this,  thought  him  mad.  He,  however,  halted  not, 
but,  approaching,  he  profaned  the  temple,  casting  against  it  the 
lance  which  he  had  held  in  his  hand,  and,  exulting  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  worship  of  the  true  God,  he  ordered  his  companions  to 
pull  down  the  temple,  with  all  its  enclosures.  The  place  is  shown 
where  those  Idols  formerly  stood,  not  far  from  York,  at  the  source 
of  the  river  Derwent,  and  is  at  this  day  called  Gormund  Gaham, 
ubi  pontifex  ille,  inspirante  Deo  vero,  polluit  ac  destruxit  eas,  quas 
ipse  sacraverat  aras."  The  last  expression  is  a  pleasing  proof  that 
the  venerable  monk  of  Wearmouth  was  familiar  with  the  poetry 
of  V^irgiL'     (Cf.  ^neid  3.305,  4.200.) 

I  Bede  (Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.35),  to  describe  the 
effect  of  the  teaching  of  Germanus  and  Lupus,  uses  a  phrase  which 
Wordsworth  has  here  applied:  'Itaque  regionis  universitas  in 
eorum  sententiam  promta  transierat.'  Sellar's  translation  of 
'promta  transierat,'  'readily  came  over,'  is  verbally  less  suggestive 
of  the  original  than  Wordsworth's  'prompt  transformation.' 
'Novel  lore'  may  well  be  a  reminiscence  of  Ethelbert's  speech  to 
Augustine,- as  given  by  Bede  (ibid.  1.46):  '  Pulchra  sunt  quidem 
verba  et  promissa,  quae  adfertis;  sed  quia  nova  sunt  et  incerta 
.  .  .';  or  of 'haec  nova  doctrina' in  the  speech  of  the  sage  to  Edwin 
(ibid.  I.I  12). 

4  The  original  version  (ed.  by  Plummer,  1.113)  has  'fana 
idolorum.' 

5-8  Fuller  {Ch.  Hist.  1.82)  describes  Thor  with  'a  kingly  sceptre 
in  his  right  hand.'  Of  Woden  he  says:  'He  was  the  god  of  battle, 
by  whose  aid  and  furtherance  they  hoped  to  obtain  victory.' 

9-10  Bede,  op.  ctt.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.35:  'Latebant  abditi 
sinistrae  persuasionis  auctores,  et  more  maligni  spiritus,  gemebant 
perire  sibi  populos  evadentes.' 

lo-ii  Bede  {op.  ctt.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  126)  quotes  a  letter  from 
Pope  Honorius  to  the  Bishop  Honorius  who  succeeded  Justus  at 
Canterbury:  '  Come  unto  Me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  refresh  you'  (Matthew  11.28). 

12  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Soji.  1.17:  'The  early  propa- 
gators of  Christianity  were  accustomed  to  preach  near  rivers,  for 
the  convenience  of  baptism.' 

12-14  Bede  {op.  cit.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.47)  is  here  the  source 
of  words  as  well  as  of  substance:  'At  ubi  ipse  [rex]  etiam  inter  alios 
delectatus  ['rejoice']  vita  mundissima  sanctorum,  et  promissis 
['promise']  eorum  suavissimis,  quae  vera  esse  miraculorum  quoque 
multorum  ostensione  firmaverat,  credens  baptizatus  est,  coepere 
plures  cotidie  ad  audiendum  ['heard']  verbum  confluere  ac,  relicto 
gentilitatis  ritu  ['rite'],  unitati  se  sanctae  ['sanctity']  Christi  eccle- 
siae  credendo  sociare.' 
16 


226  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

1.18 

1-2,  12  Bede  (Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.66)  quotes  a  letter 
from  Gregory  to  Augustine:  'Gaudeas  videlicet,  quia  Anglorum 
animae  per  exteriora  miracula  ad  interiorem  gratiam  pertrahuntur.' 

3-10  Bede  {op.  cit.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  330)  recounts  the  vision  of 
Drythelm,  addressing  'those  who,  being  terrified  with  the  dread  of 
torments,  or  ravished  with  the  hope  of  everlasting  joys,  would 
draw  from  his  words  the  means  to  advance  in  piety.'  He  recalls 
{op.  cit.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.305)  Virgil's  line,  'sola  sub  nocte  per 
umbras  [Pumbram]'  {^neid  6.268).  Eccl.  Son.  1. 18. 3-10  are  so  like 
the  vision  of  Drythelm,  that  on  the  latter  rather  than  on  the 
numerous  other  visions  recorded  by  the  monk  of  Jarrow  must  the 
sonnet  have  been  based.  The  vision  follows  (tr.  by  Sellar,  pp. 
327-8) :  *  I  beheld  a  crowd  of  evil  spirits  dragging  five  souls  of 
men,  wailing  and  shrieking,  into  the  midst  of  the  darkness,  whilst 
they  themselves  exulted  and  laughed.  .  .  .  Being  thus  on  all  sides 
encompassed  with  enemies  and  shades  of  darkness,  and  casting  my 
eyes  hither  and  thither  if  haply  anywhere  help  might  be  found 
whereby  I  might  be  saved,  there  appeared  behind  me,  on  the  way 
by  which  I  had  come,  as  it  were,  the  brightness  of  a  star  shining 
amidst  the  darkness;  which  waxing  greater  by  degrees,  came  rapid- 
ly towards  me;  and  when  it  drew  near,  all  those  evil  spirits,  that 
sought  to  carry  me  away  with  their  tongs,  dispersed  and  fled. 
Now  he,  whose  approach  put  them  to  flight,  was  the  same  that 
led  me  before;  who  .  .  .  began  to  lead  me  .  .  .  towards  the 
rising  of  the  winter  sun,  and  having  soon  brought  me  out  of  the 
darkness,  led  me  forth  into  an  atmosphere  of  clear  light.'  Cf. 
Milton,  P.  L.  2.1032-3. 

7  Ibid.,  pp.  328-9:  'Lo!  there  was  a  wide  and  pleasant  plain 
full  of  such  fragrance  of  blooming  flowers  that  the  marvellous 
sweetness  of  the  scents  immediately  dispelled  the  foul  stench.' 

8-10  Bede  {ibid.,  pp.  233-4),  in  his  account  of  another  vision, 
uses  such  phrases  as  'wherewith  the  sun  at  noonday  might  seem 
dark'  and  'the  rays  of  light  .  .  .  seemed  to  exceed  the  utmost 
brightness  of  daylight.'  The  Latin  (ed.  by  Plummer,  1.220)  reads 
'sol  meridianis'  and  'radii  lucis  omnem  diurni  luminis  viderentur 
superare  fulgorem.' 

lo-ii  Bede  {ibid.  1.222)  uses  the  words  'quasi  fnnibus  auro 
clarioribus  in  superna  tolleretur,'  'it  was  raised  on  high  as  it  were 
by  cords  brighter  than  gold.'  He  adds:  'Nee  dubium  remansit 
cogitanti  de  visione,  quin  aliquis  de  ilia  congregatione  citius  esset 
moriturus,  cuius  aninia  jocr  bona,  quae  fecisset,  opera,  quasi  per 
funes  aureos  levanda  esset  ad  caelos.'  Again  {ibid.  1.308),  we  have 
a  reference  to  that  flowery  place  'in  quo  recipiuntur  animae  corufn, 
qui  in  bonis  quidcm  operibus  de  corpore  exeunt';  Gregory  had 
written  to  Kthelbert  of  Augustine  {ibid.  1.68)  as  'bonis  auctore 
Deo  operibus  pracditus';  and  Aidan's  influence  on  the  faithful  is 
indicated  {ibid.  1.136)  by  'Opcrumque  bonorum  exsecutionem.' 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  227 

The  strong  contrast  in  this  sonnet  between  evil  spirits  and  good 
spirits  is  to  be  expected  from  one  whose  eyes  had  fallen  on  Bede's 
reiterated  phrases:  'bonos  sive  malos  spiritus,'  'angeli  .  .  . 
daemones.' 

Since  the  opposition  between  'eternal  interests' and  'natural  lot* 
is  so  marked,  comment  upon  the  two  ideas  is  not  out  of  place. 
'Eternal'  occurs  8  times  in  Eccl.  Son;  'natural,'  6  times.  'Eter- 
nity' does  not  occur;  'Nature'  occurs  5  times.  Compare  the  fol- 
owing  data: 

'Nature'     'Natural'     'Eternity'     'Eternal' 
Prelude  95  16  7  o 

Excursion  78  23  6  7 

1. 19 

1-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.19:  'Having  spoken  of 
the  zeal,  disinterestedness,  and  temperance  of  the  clergy  of  those 
times,  Bede  thus  proceeds:  "  Unde  et  in  magna  erat  veneratione 
tempore  illo  religionis  habitus,  ita  ut  ubicunque  clericus  aliquis. 
aut  monachus  adveniret,  gaudentur  ab  omnibus  tanquam  Dei 
famulus  exciperetur.  Etiam  si  in  itinere  pergens  inveniretur, 
accurrebant,  et  flexa  cervice,  vel  manu  signari,  vel  ore  illius  se 
benedici,  gaudebant.  Verbis  quoque  horum  exhortatoriis  diligenter 
auditum  praebebant."     Lib.  iii.  cap.  26.' 

2-3  Bede,  Eccl.  Son.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  144:  'He  [Aidan,  circ. 
635  A.  D.]  neither  sought  nor  loved  anything  of  this  world;  .  .  . 
he  [traveled]  on  foot  ...  to  the  end  that,  as  he  went,  he  might 
turn  aside  to  any  whomsoever  he  saw,  whether  rich  or  poor,  and 
call  upon  them,  if  infidels,  to  receive  the  mystery  of  the  faith,  or, 
if  they  were  believers,  strengthen  them  in  the  faith,  and  stir  them 
up  by  words  and  actions  to  giving  of  alms  and  the  performance  of 
good  works.'  That  Aidan,  although  not  a  Saxon,  is  the  particular 
priest  of  whom  Wordsworth  thinks  is  indicated  by  the  following 
words  in  the  Latin  text  (ed.  by  Plummer,  1.136):  incedens — 'meet' 
(line  9),  aspexisset — 'Apparition'  (line  10).    They  are  used  of  Aidan. 

4  Cf.  Journals  i.ii,  121. 

5  Bede  (op.  cit.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.225)  '^ises  these  words  in 
regard  to  Sebbi  [circ.  694  A.  D.]:  'piis  elimosynarum  fructibus/ 
pious  fruits  of  almsgiving. 

8     Cf.  Vaudracour  and  Julia  44. 

11-12  Bede  {op.  cit.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  166):  '[Oswin,  King  of 
Deira]  ungirt  his  sword  and  gave  it  to  a  servant,  and  hastened  to 
the  Bishop  [Aidan]  and  fell  down  at  his  feet,  beseeching  him  to 
forgive  him.' 

13  Bede,  op.  cit.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.191:  'Tota  cura  cordis 
excolendi.' 


228  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

1.20 

1-14  This  sonnet  may  have  been  suggested  by  Turner's  dis- 
cussion of  systems  of  'deprecation,  adoration,  expiation,  reconcile- 
ment, and  supplication'  {Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  3.508-9):  'It  is  upon 
their  feelings,  rather  than  upon  their  reason,  that  mankind  base 
their  belief,  not  in  religion  alone,  but  in  all  things  which  they 
accredit  or  uphold.'  Some  twenty  pages  further  on  {ibid.  3.528) 
is  the  account  of  the  erection  of  Ramsey  monastery,  referred  to  in 
the  poet's  note  on  1.24.  In  this  episode  Edgar's  ealdorman,  whose 
'sacred  structure'  Ramsey  is,  builds  in  memory  of  a  brother  w^ho 
has  died;  and  of  the  monks  who  will  inhabit  the  'quiet  fortress' 
it  is  said  (cf.  lines  11-12):  'By  their  merits  .  .  .  the  prisons  are 
opened;   the  fettered  released.' 

2-5     Cf.  Maternal  Grief  73:    'The  vanities  of  grief.' 

6-7  Cf.  Excursion  3.695-701;  and  Epitaphs,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed., 
p.  932. 

8-12  See  Littledale  {Wordsworth's  Literary  Criticism,  1905,  p. 
255)  for  Wordsworth's  remark  to  Bishop  Wordsworth:  '  'The 
ministry  of  confession  is  provided  to  satisfy  the  natural  desire  for 
some  relief  from  the  load  of  grief.  Here,  as  in  so  many  other 
respects,  the  Church  of  Rome  adapts  herself  with  consummate 
skill  to  our  nature,  and  is  strong  by  our  weaknesses.  Almost  all 
her  errors  and  corruptions  are  abuses  of  what  is  good.' 

13-14  Bede  {Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.66)  quotes  Gregory's 
letter  to  Augustine,  in  which  occurs  this  same  warning:  '  Perti- 
mescas  vero,  ne  inter  signa,  quae  fiunt,  infirmus  animus  in  sui 
praesumtione  se  elevet,  et  unde  foras  in  honorem  tollitur,  inde  per 
inanem  gloriam  intus  cadat.' 

Wordsworth's  opinion  on  the  use  and  abuse  of  the  instrument 
may  be  found  in  the  following  passages:  Letters  1.200;  Prose  Works 
1. 3 14,  and  2.177;   Excursion  9.188;   and  Letters  2.35. 

1. 21 

I  Cf.  White  Doe  516-20;  and  Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  cd.  by  Plummer, 
1. 321:    '  Regni  sceptra  reliquit.' 

2-3  Cf.  Letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  Prose  Works  1. 13-14: 
'If  your  Lordship  has  travelled  in  the  democratic  cantons  of 
Switzerland,  you  must  have  seen  the  herdsmen  with  the  staff  in 
one  hand  and  the  book  in  the  other.' 

4-6  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.104:  'Divers  of  them 
[the  Saxon  Kings]  renounced  their  temporal  dignities  for  spiritual 
solitude,  and  became  monks:  as  y^uhelred  and  Kinred,  kings  of 
Mercna-land;  Offa,  king  of  the  East  Saxons;  Kad walla  and  Ine, 
Kings  of  the  West  Saxons;  Eadbert,  king  of  Northumbrians,  &c.' 
Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  172:  "This  king  [Sigbert  of  East 
Anglia,  circ.  631   A.  D.]  became  so  great  a  lover   of    the    heavenly 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  229 

kingdom,  that  at  last,  quitting  the  affairs  of  his  kingdom,  and 
committing  them  to  his  kinsman,  Ecgric,  who  before  had  a  share 
in  that  kingdom,  he  entered  a  monastery,  which  he  had  built  for 
himself,  and  having  received  the  tonsure,  applied  himself  rather  to 
do  battle  for  a  heavenly  throne.  .  .  .  [Taken  from  his  monastery 
unwillingly  to  do  battle  against  Penda],  he  would  carry  nothing  in 
his  hand  but  a  wand.' 

7-14  Wordsworth,  Memoirs,  ed.  by  Reed,  2.486:  'In  the 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  the  lines  concerning  the  Monk,  "Within  his 
cell  .  .  .  ,"  were  suggested  to  me  by  a  beautiful  tree  clad  as  thus 
described,  which  you  may  remember  in  Lady  Fleming's  park  at 
Rydal,  near  the  path  to  the  upper  waterfall.'  Cf.  Journals  1.3: 
'Walked  through  the  wood  to  Holford.  The  ivy  twisting  round 
the  oaks  like  bristled  serpents.'  Cf.  also  Shakespeare,  Mid.  Night's 
Dream  4.1.49-50;  Virgil,  Ec.  5.32;  and  Milton's  use  of  the  figure  in 
Reformation. 

1.22 

1-14  Bede  {Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  177)  refers  to  Fursa, 
who,  after  building  monasteries  at  Lough  Corrib  and  Cnobheres- 
bljrg,  'became  desirous  to  rid  himself  of  all  business  of  this  world, 
and  even  of  the  monastery  itself,  and  forthwith  left  the  care  of  it 
and  of  its  souls  to  his  brother,  Fullan,  and  the  priests  Gobban  and 
Dicull,  and  being  himself  free  from  all  worldly  affairs,  resolved  to 
end  his  life  as  a  hermit.' 

2-9  Cf.  Wordsworth,  Desc.  Seen.  Lakes,  Prose  Works  2.90-1  ; 
and  Dorothy  Wordsworth,  Journals  2.224,  232-3,  256.  Glen 
Almain  23-9,  Inscriptions  Supposed  to  he  Found  in  and  near  a 
Ilermit's  Cell,  and  The  Brownie's  Cell,  were  previously  written,  and 
show  by  comparison  what  Wordsworth's  material  became  when 
shaped  into  a  sonnet.      Refer  also  to  Excursion  2.349-69. 

6  The  collocation  of  'heaven'  and  'pool'  should  be  noted  in 
Resolution  54;  also  in  the  two  lines  which  Coleridge  felt  to  be  so 
characteristic  of  Wordsworth,  Prelude  5.387-8.  ^Moreover,  Duddon 
22.2,  23.4,  and  24  are  not  alien  to  the  imagery  and  temper  of  this 
sonnet. 

9-14  The  '  beechen  bowl'  makes  its  reappearance  from  Pre/«rfe 
8.206,  where  it  was  part  of  the  'smooth  life'  of  'flock  and  shepherd 
in  old  time,'  led  in  country  such  as  the  poet  saw  near  the  im- 
perial walls  of  Goslar;  a  'sweet  life'  which  had  been  set  aside, 
as  a  conception,  for  what  were  not  'appearances,'  'shadows,' 
'fancies,'  and  'delusions'  {Prelude  8.173-339).  The  'maple  dish' 
of  the  hermit  with  'visionary  views'  had  likewise  been  discredited  in 
Excursion  5.687.  From  The  Excursion  (6.327),  too,  come  the  owl, 
and  the  fowl  loved  by  the  Wanderer  (2.45);  and  the  phrase 
'thorp  .  .  .  viir  (8.100).  On  the  subject  of  Wordsworth's  pas- 
torals, see  Leslie  N.  Broughton,  The  Theocritcan  Element  in  the 
Works  of  William  Wordsworth.     Cf.  in  particular  the  bowl  in  the 


230  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

first  idyl  of  Theocritus,  and  the  two  beechen  cups  which  Menalcas 
stakes  (Virgil,  Ec.  3.36).     Cf.  also  Milton,  Comus  390-1. 

Whatever  the  pastoral  beauty  of  Eccl.  Son.  1.22,  Wordsworth 
uses  its  imagery  chiefly  as  a  foil  to  the  ideas  of  1.23.  If  we  except 
The  Point  at  Issue,  2.30,  no  part  of  Eccl.  Son.  is  more  typical  than 
the  transition  between  1.22  and  1.23.  The  'but'  of  1.23.1  echoes 
the  'yet'  of  Prelude  8.215. 

1.23 

1-3  Camden,  Britain,  tr.  by  Holland,  744  B:  'When  he  [Bede] 
was  once  dead,  there  was  buried  with  him,  as  William  of  Malmsbury 
saith,  all  the  knowledge,  well  near,  of  acts  and  monuments,  until 
our  time.  For  when  there  succeeded  ever  one  more  lazy  than 
another,  the  heat  of  good  studies  was  abated  and  cooled  through 
the  whole  land.' 

4-5  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  1.150:  '  Venerable  ...  a  title  neither  too 
high  nor  too  low;  just  even  to  so  good  a  man  and  great  a  scholar, 
whilst  alive.' 

5  Ibid.  1. 149,  151:  '[Bede]  was  the  profoundest  scholar  in  his 
age,  for  Latin,  Greek;  philosophy,  history,  divinity,  mathematics, 
music,  and  what  not?  Homilies  of  his  making  were  read  in  his 
lifetime  in  the  Christian  churches,  a  dignity  afforded  to  him 
alone,  \^'e  are  much  beholding  to  his  Ecclesiastical  History, 
written  by  him  and  dedicated  to  Ceolwolfus,  king  of  Northumber- 
land. ...  A  foreign  ambassador,  some  two  hundred  years  since, 
coming  to  Durham,  addressed  himself  first  to  the  high  and  sump- 
tuous shrine  of  St.  Cuthbert.  "  If  thou  beest  a  saint,  pray  for  me  " ; 
then,  coming  to  the  plain,  low,  and  little  tomb  of  Bede,  "  Because," 
said  he,  "thou  art  a  saint,  good  Bede,  pray  for  me."' 

5-6  Ibid.  1.150:  'Some  report  that  Bede  never  went  out  of  his 
cell,  but  lived  and  died  therein.' 

7-9,  12  Camden,  Britain,  tr.  by  Holland,  744  B :  *  Here  [at  Jarrow] 
our  Bede,  the  singular  glory  and  ornament  of  England,  who  for 
his  piety  and  learning  got  the  surname  of  Venerabilis,  bestowed 
all  diligence,  as  himself  saith,  in  meditation  of  the  Scriptures,  and 
amid  the  most  boisterous  billows  and  surging  waves  of  barbarism 
wrote  many  learned  volumes.' 

9  Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  ed.  by  Plummer,  1.357:  'Semper  aut 
discere,  aut  docere,  aut  scribere  dulce  habui.' 

14  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.23:  'He  expired  dictating 
the  last  words  of  [1822 — 'in  the  act  of  concluding']  a  translation  of 
St.  John's  Gospel.'  Fuller  {Ch.  Hist.  1.151)  was  the  source  of 
Wordsworth's  note:  'One  of  the  last  things  he  [Bede]  did  was  the 
translating  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  into  English.  When  death 
seized  on  him,  one  of  his  devout  scholars,  whom  he  used  for  his 
secretary  or  amanuensis,  complained,  "My  beloved  master,  there 
remains  yet  one  sentence  unwritten."     "\\'rito  it,  then,  quickly," 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  231 

replied  Bede,  and,  summoning  all  his  spirits  together,  like  the  last 
blaze  of  a  candle  going  out,  he  indited  it,  and  expired.'  Cf. 
Letters  2.257  and  Misc.  Son.  3.44. 

'Eccl.  Son.  1.23  should  be  read  with  The  Solitary  of  The  Excursion 
in  mind  by  contrast.  'Sublime  Recluse!'  (line  9)  refers  us  to  other 
and  more  tentative  definitions  of  the  recluse.  Cf.  also  Excursion^ 
5.20-48,  The  Recluse  entire,  and  2.5  of  this  series. 

1.24 

1-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.24:  'See  in  Turner's 
History,  vol.  iii,  p.  528,  the  account  of  the  erection  of  Ramsey 
Monastery.  Penances  were  removable  by  the  performance  of  acts 
of  charity  and  benevolence.'  Turner  {Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  3.527-8) 
quotes  from  the  Hist.  Ram.:  'On  the  death  of  a  favorite  nobleman 
of  Edgar's  court,  his  brother,  an  ealdorman,  expressed  to  Bishop 
Oswald  his  desire  to  pursue  a  better  system  of  life  than  his  worldly 
occupations  permitted.  Oswald  assured  him  that  his  secular 
affairs  would  but  give  him  so  many  opportunities  of  doing  good, 
if  he  was  careful  to  observe  a  conscientious  spirit  of  equity,  a 
merciful  moderation,  and  a  constant  intention  of  right  conduct. 
Bat  he  added  that  they  only  were  free,  serene,  and  released  from  all 
danger  and  anxiety,  who  renounced  the  world;  and  that  their  piety 
brought  blessings  on  their  country.  ^^  By  their  merits,  the  anger  of  the 
Supreme  Judge  is  abated;  a  healthier  atmosphere  is  granted;  corn 
springs  up  more  abtindantly;  famine  and  pestilence  withdraw;  the  State 
is  better  governed;  the  prisons  are  opened;  the  fettered  released;  the 
shipwrecked  are  relieved;  and  the  sick  recover."  Oswald  ended 
his  speech  by  advising  him,  if  he  had  any  place  in  his  territory 
fitted  for  a  monastery,  to  build  one  upon  it,  promising  to  contribute 
to  its  maintenance.'     The  italics  are  mine. 

1  Ibid.  3.528:  'The  workmen  labored  as  much  from  devotion 
as  for  profit.' 

2  \'irgil,  .^neid  1.430  ff:  'Qualis  apes  .  .  .'  Cf.  Milton,  P.  L. 
1.768  ff. 

3-10  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  1.207:  'O,  with  what  might  and  main 
did  they  mount  their  walls,  both  day  and  night!  erroneously 
conceiving  that  their  souls  were  advantaged  to  heaven,  when 
taking  the  rise  from  the  top  of  a  steeple  of  their  own  erection!* 

5  Bede  {Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  246)  describes  Wilfrid's 
influence  in  Sussex:  'Xo  rain  had  fallen  in  that  district  for  three 
years  before  his  arrival  in  the  province.  .  .  .  But  on  the  very  day 
on  which  the  nation  received  the  Baptism  of  the  faith,  there  fell  a 
soft  but  plentiful  rain;  the  earth  revived,  the  fields  grew  green 
again,  and  the  season  was  pleasant  and  fruitful.' 

7  Ibid.,  p.  272,  for  Hilda's  journey  from  Hartlepool  to  Whitby, 
where  she  built  or  set  in  order  a  monastery,  teaching  'the  strict 
observance  of  .  .  .  justice,  piety,  chastity,  and  other  virtues,  and 
particularly  of  peace  and  charity.' 


232  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

II-I2  Turner,  op.  cit.  3.541-2:  'The  following  is  one  of  their 
regulations  on  this  subject:  "  Many  men  may  redeem  their  penances 
by  alms;  ...  he  that  hath  ability  may  .  .  .  free  his  own  slaves, 
and  redeem  the  liberty  of  those  of  other  masters,  and  especially 
the  poor  captives  of  war."  ' 

1.25 

1-2  Bede  {Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  pp.  147-8)  uses  the  figure 
'sow  the  seed  of  the  holy  faith,'  'sanctae  fidei  semina  esse  spars- 
urum,'  in  regard  to  the  conversion  of  the  West  Saxons  by  Birinus: 
among  English  apostles  to  'barbarous  shores'  are:  Wilbrord  to 
Friesland  {ibid.,  p.  320),  Hewald  to  the  Old  Saxons  {ibid.,  p.  321), 
and  Boniface  and  Adalbert  to  Germany  (Turner,  Hist.  Angl.  Sax. 
3-5I8-9)- 

3-4  Bede  refers  to  Wilfrid  in  this  connection  (op.  cit.,  p.  347); 
and  to  Oftfor  (ibid.,  p.  273). 

5-6,  9  Ibid.,  pp.  356-7,  Wilfrid's  epitaph:  'Here  rests  the  body 
of  the  great  Bishop  Wilfrid,  who,  for  love  of  piety,  built  these 
courts,  and  consecrated  them  with  the  noble  name  of  Peter,  to 
whom  Christ,  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  gave  the  keys  of  Heaven. 
And  devoutly  he  clothed  them  with  gold  and  Tyrian  purple;  yea, 
and  he  placed  here  the  trophy  of  the  Cross,  of  shining  ore,  uplifted 
high;  moreover  he  caused  the  four  books  of  the  Gospel  to  be  written 
in  gold  in  their  order,  and  he  gave  a  case  meet  for  them  of  ruddy 
gold.  And  he  also  brought  the  holy  season  of  Easter,  returning  in 
its  course,  to  accord  with  the  true  teaching  of  the  catholic  rule 
which  the  Fathers  fixed,  and,  banishing  all  doubt  and  error,  gave 
his  nation  sure  guidance  in  their  worship.  And  in  this  place  he 
gathered  a  great  throng  of  monks,  and  with  all  diligence  safeguarded 
the  precepts  which  the  Fathers'  rule  enjoined.  And  long  time 
sore  vexed  by  many  a  peril  at  home  and  abroad,  when  he  had  held 
the  office  of  a  bishop  forty-five  years,  he  passed  away,  and  with  joy 
departed  to  the  heavenly  kingdom.  Grant,  O  Jesus,  that  the 
flock  may  follow  in  the  path  of  the  shepherd.'  Acca,  Wilfrid's 
successor,  enriched  Hagustald  and  St.  Andrew  with  relics,  books, 
adornments  (ibid.,  p.  358). 

7-9  Cf.  the  Dedication  to  The  White  Doe  1-8,  33-40.  The  story 
of  Una  was  one  of  the  two  which  Wordsworth  held  '  pre-eminently 
dear'  (Pers.  Talk  40,  42). 

9-13  Wordsworth  wrote  to  Francis  Wrangham,  Nov.  20,  [1795], 
(Letters  1.89):  'I  suppose  you  were  too  busy  to  go  on  with  The 
Destruction  of  Babylon.'  Cf.  Wrangham's  The  Restoration  of  the 
Jews  and  The  Destruction  of  Babylon,  Poems,  pp.  15-16  and  43: 

Past  is  the  fame  of  E!gypt;  whose  pale  son 
Erst  by  the  midnight  lamp,  with  learned  toil 
Skilful  to  wind  the  hieroglyphic  maze, 
Por'd  on  the  trcasur'd  page  by  double  fate 
Denied  to  future  times.     With  prone  descent 
Great  Babylon  is  fallen;  amid  the  dust, 


OF    WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  233 

Vainly  inquisitive,  the  traveller  pries 
In  fruitless  search  where  Syrian  BI'LLUS  rear'd 
His  idol  form:  No  human  trace  around 
Informs  his  doubtful  step;  no  friendly  tone 
Breaks  the  disastrous  silence  .  .  . 

Beneath  the  waves 
Old  Tyre  is  whelm'd,  and  all  her  revelry: 
Those  hosts,  who  barter'd  ISRAEL'S  sons  for  gold 
(The  Traffickers  of  blood)  no  more  renew 
Th'  abhorred  merchandize;  no  more  with  glance 
Of  keen  remark  compute  the  sinew's  force, 
Or  weigh  the  muscles  of  their  fellow-man. 
Now  stoops  that  tower,  from  whose  broad  top  the  eye 
Of  infant  Science  pierc'd  the  midnight  sky;  .  .  , 
Vain  all  her  study! 

13-14  Bede  {op.  cit.,  p.  214)  indicates  with  emphasis  the  classical 
attainments  of  Hadrian  and  of  Theodore.  He  continues  {ibid., 
pp.  216-17):  'And  forasmuch  as  both  of  them  were,  as  has  been 
said  before,  fully  instructed  both  in  sacred  and  in  secular  letters, 
they  gathered  a  crowd  of  disciples,  and  rivers  of  u'liolesome  knou'ledge 
daily  floived  from  them  to  water  the  hearts  of  their  hearers;  and, 
together  with  the  books  of  Holy  Scripture,  they  also  taught  them 
the  metrical  art,  astronomy,  and  ecclesiastical  arithmetic.  A 
testimony  whereof  is,  that  there  are  still  living  at  this  day  some  of 
their  scholars,  who  are  as  well  versed  in  the  Greek  and  Latin 
tongues  as  in  their  own,  in  which  they  were  born.'  Cf.  Dante, 
Inferno  1.79-80. 

1.26 

1-14  Wordsworth  had  previously  conceived  the  character  of 
Alfred  in  an  imaginary  speech  {A  Fact,  and  an  Imagination  24-43). 
Cf.  Milton's  account  of  Alfred  {Hist.  Brit.). 

1  Turner  {Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  1.503)  says  of  Alfred's  mother: 
'She  is  said  to  have  given  him  to  Swithin,  the  preceptor  of  his 
father,  to  be  taught.'  Also  {ibid.  1.509):  'In  Alfred's  journey- 
through  France,  he  was  very  hospitably  treated  by  Bertinus  and 
Grimbald.'  As  instructors  of  Alfred  the  following  are  indicated 
{ibid.  2.141-2):  Werfrith,  Bishop  of  W^orcester;  Plegmund.  a 
Mercian,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury;  Ethelstan  and  Werwulf, 
Mercian  priests;  Johannes  Erigena,  monk;  Asser,  of  St.  David's. 
Turner  adds  {ibid.  2.147):  'To  John  Erigena,  to  Grimbald,  to 
Asser,  and  Plegmund,  Alfred  himself  ascribes  his  acquisition  of  the 
Latin  language'  (Preface  to  Gregory's  Cura  Pastoralis). 

2  Turner,  op.  cit.  2.278:  'One  of  the  principal  features  of 
Alfred's  useful  life  was  his  earnest  piety.'  Ibid.  2.302-3,  306: 
'This  indefatigable  king  made  also  a  code  of  laws,  with  the  con- 
currence of  his  witena-gemot  or  parliament,  which  has  been  called 
his  Dom-boc.  .  .  .  That  Alfred  was  assiduous  to  procure  to  his 
people  the  blessing  of  a  correct  and  able  administration  of  justice, 
we  have  the  general  testimony  of  Asser.' 


234  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

3  Ihid.  2.87:  'His  early  predilection  for  the  Saxon  poetry  and 
music  had  qualified  him  to  assume  the  character  of  an  harper;  and 
thus  disguised,  he  went  to  the  Danish  tents.'  See  also  {ihid. 
2.157-9)  Alfred's  version  of  the  story  of  Orpheus  and  Eurydice. 
To  Alfred  as  a  'deliverer'  and  'defender'  Wordsworth  had  pre- 
viously referred  in  the  Convention  of  Cintra,  Prose  Works  1.203. 

4  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.107:  'Alfred,  the  mirror 
of  Princes.' 

9-10  Turner,  op.  cit.  2.275:  'Alfred  was  an  exact  economist  of 
his  time.' 

10  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.26:  'Through  the  whole 
of  his  life,  Alfred  was  subject  to  grievous  maladies.'  Cf.  Turner, 
op.  cit.  2.309-10. 

12-14  Ibid.  2.297-9:  'His  embassy  to  India,  to  the  shrine  of 
St.  Thomas,  is  as  expressive  of  his  mind  and  public  spirit  as  any 
other  action  of  his  life.  No  other  potentate  in  Europe  could  in 
that  day  have  conceived  it,  because  no  other  had  acquired  that 
knoM^ledge  which  would  have  interested  them  in  a  country  so 
remote  and  unknown.  The  embassy  displays  not  only  the  extent 
of  Alfred's  information,  but  that  searching  curiosity  which  charac- 
terized his  understanding.  .  .  .  Malmsbury,  who  gives  the  fullest 
account  of  the  incident,  says  that  the  king  sent  many  presents 
over  sea  to  Rome,  and  to  St.  Thomas,  in  India;  that  Sighelm,  the 
bishop  of  Shireburn,  was  his  ambassador,  who  penetrated  with 
great  success  to  India,  to  the  admiration  of  the  age;  and  that  he 
brought  with  him,  on  his  return,  many  foreign  gems  and  aromatic 
liquors,  the  produce  of  the  country.  Cf.  also  the  note,  op.  cit. 
2.300:  '  In  870,  three  monks,  desirous  to  see  the  places  so  celebrated 
in  the  Christian  writings,  undertook  a  journey  thither  [to  Jerusalem]. 
Their  itinerary,  written  by  Bernard,  one  of  the  travellers,  is  extant.' 

1.27 

1-4  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.109:  'And  within  this 
circumference  of  order,  he  [Alfred]  held  him  in  that  irregularity  of 
fortune  with  a  weak  disposition  of  body,  and  reigned  27  years, 
leaving  his  son  Edward  a  worthy  successor  to  maintain  the  line  of 
nobleness  thus  begun  by  him.'  For  the  revision  of  these  lines  in 
1837,  see  p.  49.  C(.  Daniel,  op.  cit.  4.111:  'Edred,  his  [Edmund's] 
brother  preferred  to  the  kingdom  before  them  [Edmund's  two 
sons];  who  (making  no  variation  from  the  line  of  virtue  continued 
by  his  ancestors)  was  held  perpetually  in  work  by  the  Danes  during 
the  whole  time  of  his  reign,  which  was  of  ten  years.' 

5  Ibid.  4.1 10:  'And  surely  his  father  [Alfred],  he  [Edward],  and 
many  that  succeeded  during  this  Danicq  war,  though  they  lost 
their  ease,  won  much  glory  and  renown.'  Cf.  'Indigent  Renown' 
in  Eccl.  Son.  1.26.4. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  235 

• 

6-7  Turner  {Ilist.  Anf^L  Sax.  2.314  fT.)  recounts  the  dangers 
which  threatened  Edward:  the  attempt  of  Ethelwold  to  gain  the 
throne,  uprisings  of  the  Danes,  the  invasion  of  Northmen  from 
Armorica.  Athelstan's  danger  was  a  confederation  of  Northmen, 
Anglo-Danes,  Picts,  Scots,  Orkneymen,  and  Welsh.  Turner's 
image  {ibid.  2.331)  is  akin  to  that  of  W^ordsworth:  'He  [Athelstan] 
prepared  to  meet  the  storm  with  firmness  and  energy.' 

8-14  The  figure  of  the  oak-tree  to  represent  a  sturdy  lineage  is 
frequent  in  Daniel's  Collection.  Cf.  op.  cit.  4.123,  125.  W'ords- 
worth  had  often  used  or  referred  to  this  figure:  Convention  of 
Cintra,  Prose  Works  1.227;  Westmoreland  2,  Prose  Works  2.312. 
There  was  an  oak  at  Michael's  door  (Michael  165).  The  Oak  of 
Guernica,  The  Prior's  Oak  (White  Doe  34),  and  the  Lord's  Oak 
(Excursion  7.622)  were  all  associated  in  Wordsworth's  mind  with 
conceptions  of  dignity  and  power.  To  oak  and  sycamore  he  had 
compared  the  Wanderer  and  the  Pastor  (Excursion  5.455-61). 
The  same  'forest  oaks  of  Druid  memory'  (Eccl.  Son.  3-39-7)  had 
spread  over  the  early  Christian  monks:  The  Field  of  Oaks,  Dear- 
mach  [Durrow  in  Leinster],  where  Columba  built  a  monastery 
(Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  142),  and  Augustine's  Oak 
(Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  1.89).  The  Dedication  (45-54)  of  The  White  Doe 
has  the  image  of  forest-tree,  and  tempest  breaking  over  wide  realms; 
and  the  picture  of  Emily  under  the  leafless  oak  (White  Doe  1629- 
38)  is  similar  to  the  quiet  ending  of  this  sonnet.  Cf.  Virgil,  Georg. 
2.291-7. 

10-14  Daniel,  op.  cit.  4.1 12:  'He  [Edgar]  seems  the  first  and 
most  absolute  monarch  of  this  land  that  hitherto  we  find:  the 
general  peace  that  held  all  his  time  honored  his  name  with  the  title 
of  Pacificus;  and  rendered  his  kingdom  (never  before  acquainted 
with  the  glory  of  quietness)  very  flourishing.  But  as  if  the  same 
had  been  given  to  show,  and  not  to  use  (like  a  short  calm  betwixt 
storms),  it  lasted  but  little  beyond  his  reign  of  sixteen  years.' 

14  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.26:  'As  pre-eminently,  in  the 
wood  by  the  road,  half-way  from  Rydal  to  Ambleside.'  Cf. 
Journals  1.221.  W'ordsworth  in  a  letter  to  Alex.  Dyce,  May  10, 
1830  (Letters  2.427),  quoted  from  the  Countess  of  Wlnchelsea's 
Aristomenes,  a  passage  of  which  this  is  reminiscent: 

Love's  soft  bands. 

His  gentle  cords  of  hyacinths  and  roses, 

Wove  in  the  dewy  spring  when  storms  are  silent. 

Cf.  also  The  Tree,  by  the  Countess  of  Winchelsea,  in  Poems  and  Ex- 
tracts .  .  .  Lady  Mary  Lowther,  ed.  by  Littledale,  London,  1905, 
pp.  20-1. 

1.28 

1-14  This  sonnet  is  a  signal  instance  of  Wordsworth's  power 
over  his  material.  His  source  was  Turner's  Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  2.385- 
418,  428-30.  The  essential  ideas  of  these  35  pages  are  all  present 
in  the  14  lines  of  1.28. 


236  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1-2  Ihid.  2.391:  'Youthful  ambition  is  the  parent  of  much 
excellence,'  and  'His  means  were  the  most  honorable  he  could 
employ.' 

2  Ibid.  2.416:  'The  best  part  of  Dunstan's  character  was  his 
taste  for  knowledge  and  the  civilizing  arts.  The  questionable 
features  are  those  of  his  politics,  and  real  or  pretended  enthusiasm.' 
Of  Dunstan's  cell  in  the  earth  Turner  asks  {ibid.  2.396):  'Do  not 
such  singularities  as  these  reveal  either  an  inflamed  imagination  in 
the  sincere,  or  a  crafty  ambition  in  the  hypocritical? ' 

5  Of  Dunstan's  dream  that  his  mother  was  married  to  Christ, 
Turner  remarks  {ibid.  2,417):  'To  the  credulous,  the  assertion  of 
Dunstan  was  sufficient  evidence  of  this  impious  story.  The  more 
investigating  were  silenced  by  attempts  to  allegorize  it.' 

6  Turner's  discussion  of  Dunstan  follows  directly  upon  his 
account  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Benedictine  order  {ibid. 
2.380-5);  Fuller  says  {Ch.  Hist.  2.145):  'First  come  forth  the 
Benedictines,  or  Black  Monks,  so  called  from  St.  Benedict,  or 
Benet,  an  Italian,  first  father  and  founder  of  that  Order.  Augustine 
the  monk  first  brought  them  over  into  England;  and  these  black- 
birds first  nested  in  Canterbury,  whence  they  have  flown  into  all 
parts  of  the  kingdom.' 

7-9  Of  the  opposition  to  a  married  clergy,  Turner  sa^^s  {op.  cit. 
2.418):  '[Edgar]  degraded  majesty  so  far  as  to  become  himself  the 
persecuting  tool  of  Dunstan.  ...  At  a  public  synod,  convened  to 
propagate  the  Benedictine  revolution,  Edgar  delivered  a  speech  for 
the  party  he  espoused.  In  consequence  of  which,  the  clergy 
experienced  a  general  persecution,  and  the  monks  were  everywhere 
diffused  with  honor.' 

lo-ii  Turner  {ibid.  2.416),  giving  as  his  authority  MS.  Cleop. 
B.13,  p.  81,  comments  as  follows:  'The  Catholic  hierarchy  may 
accredit  his  supernatural  gifts,  but  our  sober  reason  cannot  read 
but  with  surprise,  that  he  claimed  the  power  of  conversing  witli 
the  spiritual  world.  "I  can  relate  one  thing  from  himself,"  says 
his  biographer,  "that  though  he  lived  confined  by  a  veil  of  flesh, 
yet  whether  awake  or  asleep,  he  was  always  abiding  with  the 
powers  above." ' 

12  Of  his  story  that  he  pinched  Satan's  nose  with  red-hot  tongs. 
Turner  says  {ibid.  2.397):  'The  simple  people  are  stated  to  have 
venerated  the  recluse  for  this  amazing  exploit.  .  .  .  All  ages  and 
ranks  united  to  spread  his  fame.' 

13  Cf.  Westmoreland  2,  Prose  Works  2.327:  'The  people  have 
ever  been  the  dupes  of  extremes';  and  Turner,  op.  cit.  2.395:  'The 
ambitious  recluse  pursues  the  phantom  in  his  lonely  cell,  by  extraor- 
dinary penances,  and  a  superior  superstition,  ...  [of  Dunstan] 
with  an  earnestness  which  every  year  became  more  separated  from 
moral  principle.' 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  237 

14  Ibid.  2.389:  'To  liavc  excelled  his  contemporaries  in  mental 
pursuits,  in  the  fine  arts,  though  then  imperfectly  practised,  and 
in  mechanical  labors,  is  evidence  of  an  activity  of  intellect  and 
an  ardor  for  improvement  which  proclaim  him  to  have  been  a 
superior  j^ersonage,  whose  talents  might  have  blessed  the  world.' 

1.29 

1-4  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.29:  'The  violent  measures 
carried  on  under  the  influence  of  Dunstan  for  strengthening  the 
Benedictine  Order  were  a  leading  cause  of  the  second  series  of 
Danish  invasions. — See  Turner.' 

1  The  contest  between  Crown  and  Cowl  goes  back  to  the  time 
of  Edwin  (Turner,  Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  2.408):  'It  is  probable  that  the 
popularity  of  the  Benedictine  reformation,  of  which  Dunstan  had 
made  himself  both  the  champion  and  the  martyr,  was  the  great 
engine  by  which  Edwin  was  oppressed.'  Cf.  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist. 
1.200:  'Yea,  king  Edgar  was  so  wholly  Dunstanized,  that  he  gave 
over  his  soul,  body,  and  estate  to  be  ordered  by  him  and  two  more, 
then  the  triumvirate  who  ruled  England,  namely,  Ethelwald, 
bishop  of  Winchester,  and  Oswald,  bishop  of  Worcester.' 

2  Of  the  events  following  upon  Dunstan's  death.  Turner  says 
(op.  cit.  2.463-4):  'He  had  enjoyed  his  power  during  the  first  ten 
years  of  Ethelred's  reign,  but  the  civil  dissensions  which  he  appears 
to  have  begun  and  perpetuated  unnerved  the  strength  of  the 
country.  .  .  .  Within  three  years  afterwards,  formidable  invasions 
of  the  Danes  began  to  occur.  .  .  .  Instead  of  assembling  the  nobles 
with  an  army  sufficient  to  chastise  the  invaders,  the  council  of 
Ethelred  advised  him  to  buy  off  the  invaders!' 

3  Cf.  ibid.  2.23  for  the  word  'incessant.' 

5-6     As  also  in  the  time-of  Alfred  {ibid.  2.92-3). 

6-8  Fuller  {Ch.  Hist.  i. 212-14)  emphasizes  Danish  cruelty,  and 
Turner  {op.  cit.  2.29)  describes  '  the  clamors  of  the  fierce  pagans,' 
notably  Ingwar  and  Ubbo  of  the  first  invasions,  both  of  whom 
'were  highly  courageous  and  inordinately  cruel'  {ibid.  2.18).  Of 
the  second  series  of  invasions  the  latter  says  {ibid.  2.454):  'And 
yet  the  happy  change  was  beginning  to  emerge.  The  principle  of 
improvement  was  in  existence,  and  its  vegetation,  though  slow, 
was  incessant  and  effectual.'  He  gives  as  reasons  the  growth  of 
traffic,  agriculture,  grazing,  the  manual  arts,  and  'the  lessons, 
though  rude,  of  their  new  Christian  clergy'  {ibid.  2.456). 

9  Cf.  ibid.  2.18:  'The  collected  tempest.'  Cf.  Milton,  P.  L. 
2.488-95. 

10-14  'Silently,'  Sidney's  adverb  describing  the  activity  of  the 
moon,  was  borrowed  by  Wordsworth  in  Misc.  Son.  2.23.  In  The 
Excursion  (9.384  ff.)  'the  powers  of  civil  polity'  bestowed  'On 
Albion's  noble  Race  in  freedom  born'  are  said  to  be  responsible  for 


238  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

an  effect  similar  to  that  of  the  Gospel-truth  in  1.29.5,  'Change 
wide,  and  deep,  and  silently  performed.'  'Silent  as  the  moon'  is 
Miltonic  (Samson  Agonistes  87).  Longfellow  notes  this  when,  in 
his  notes  on  The  Divine  Cofjiedy,  he  relates  Inferno  1.60,  'where  the 
sun  is  silent,'  to  other  uses  of  this  epithet,  for  instance,  those  of 
Cato  {De  Re  Riistica  29  and  40)  and  Pliny  {Nat.  Hist.  16.39.74). 

1.30 

1-14  Cf.  A  Fact,  and  an  Imagination  1-23,  and  the  note  on 
Eccl.  Son.  1.26.  The  episode  of  the  rhyme  accordant  to  the  chant 
of  the  monks  in  Ely  is  recounted  by  Dyer  in  his  History  of  Cam- 
bridge. Turner  was  the  chief  resort  of  Wordsw^orth,  however. 
Dyer  refers  to  Turner  in  Hist.  Camb.  1.135,  155,  and  it  is  more 
probable  for  this  and  other  reasons  (see  p.  39)  that  Dyer  has  been 
the  intermediary. 

1-5     Dyer,  op.  cit.  1.154: 

Merry  sung  the  monks  in  Ely, 
When  King  Canute  sailed  by; 
Row,  knights,  near  the  land. 
And  hear  what  these  monks  sang. 

This  is  the  fragment  of  a  song,  written  as  the  king  was  on  the  river, 
and  heard  the  monks  of  Ely  chanting  their  devotions.'  Cf.  Turner, 
Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  3.317,  from  Hist.  Elien.: 

Merry  sang  the  monks  in  Ely, 
When  Canute  the  king  was  sailing  by; 
"  Row,  ye  knights,  near  the  land, 
"And  let  us  hear  these  monks'  song." 

6-8  Turner  (op.  cit.  2.509-10)  quotes  from  the  Enco7nium 
Emmae,  p.  173,  regarding  Canute's  journey  to  St.  Omer's,  at  Rome: 
'Entering  the  monasteries,  where  he  was  received  with  great  honor, 
he  walked  humbly,  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  ground  with  wonderful 
reverence;  and  pouring  out  (if  I  may  say  so)  rivers  of  tears,  he 
implored  the  aid  of  the  saints;  ...  in  the  proud  master  of  so 
many  conquered  kingdoms,  the  emotions  must  have  been  those  of 
his  mind  and  heart.'  Ibid.  2.501-2:  'The  submission  of  England 
gave  him  leisure  to  turn  the  eye  of  ambition  to  the  mountains  of 
Norway.' 

II  Wordsworth,  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.30:  'W^hich  is  still  extant.* 
Cf.  Turner,  op.  cit.  3.322-3:  'The  song  of  Canute  on  Ely  was  the 
composition  of  the  eleventh  century.  .  .  .  [It]  is  .  .  .  the  oldest 
specimen  of  the  dramatic  or  genuine  ballad  which  we  have  in  the 
Anglo-Saxon  language.' 

12-14  Ibid.  2.^c)y:  'He  was  formed  by  nature  to  tower  amidst 
his  contemporaries;  but  his  country  and  his  education  intermixed 
his  greatness  with  a  ferocity  that  compels  us  to  shudder  while  we 
admire.     In  one  respect  he  was  fortunate;    his  mind  and  manners 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  239 

refined  as  his  age  matured.  The  first  part  of  his  reign  was  cruel 
and  despotic.  Mis  latter  days  shone  with  a  glory  more  unclouded.' 
Cf.  the  preceding  sonnet.  'Sternest,'  'rudest,'  'Piety,'  may  be 
reminiscent  of  Turner's  phrases:  'stern  look'  (ibid.  2.508),  'the 
ruder  Danes'  (ibid.  2.525),  and  'the  Pious'  (ibid.  2.496).  For 
'clime,'  cf.  Fuller  (Ch.  Hist.  1.215):  'Coming  to  Rome,  Canutus 
turned  convert,  changing  his  condition  with  the  climate.' 

I  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.126:  'He  [Edward]  was  a 
prince  most  highly  renowned  for  his  piety,  and  fit  for  no  other 
than  the  calm  time  he  had.  For  having  been  so  long  brought  up 
with  the  nuns  at  Jumieges  in  Normandy,  he  scarce  knew  to  be  a 
man,  when  he  came  into  England.' 

3-10  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4. 171,  recounting  the  means 
used  by  William  to  establish  his  conquest:  'Thirdly,  preventing 
their  night-meetings  with  a  heavy  penalty,  that  every  man  at  the 
day  closing  should  cover  his  fire,  and  depart  to  his  rest.'  Bowles 
(The  Grave  of  the  Last  Saxon;  or.  The  Legend  of  the  Curfew,  London, 
1822)  treats  the  same  theme  with  similar  imagery.  Cf.  his  lines 
(p.  15): 

As  she  pray'd,  one  pale  small  star, 

A  still  and  lonely  star,  through  the  black  night 

Look'd  out,  like  Hope! — 

12-14  Daniel,  o/>.  a7.  4.133:  '  I  come  to  write  of  a  time  wherein 
the  State  of  England  received  an  alteration  of  laws,  customs, 
fashion,  manner  of  living,  language,  writing,  with  new  forms  of 
fights,  fortifications,  buildings,  and  generally  an  innovation  in  most 
things  but  religion.'  Refer  to  the  1 822-1 837  reading  of  line  14 
(p.  190):  'Brought  to  religion  no  injurious  change.'  Cf.  Daniel, 
Civil  War  i,  stanza  9. 

1.32 

1-14  This  sonnet  and  the  preceding  one  show  an  unwillingness 
in  Wordsworth  to  accept  the  estimate  of  historians  upon  the 
Norman  Conquest.  The  bias  is  uncorrected  by  any  subsequent  or 
compensatory  praise  for  the  benefits  of  Norman  rule  in  England. 
Noticeable,  too,  is  the  omission  of  any  reference  to  the  great 
Anglo-Norman  ecclesiastics,  Lanfranc  and  Anselm. 

3-5  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  4.157:  'He  utterly  wasted 
and  laid  desolate  all  that  goodly  country  between  York  and  Dur- 
ham.' Chetwind  (Anthologia  Historica,  p.  209)  quotes  Speed's 
History  for  an  instance  of  William's  cruelty:  '[He]  immediately 
entered  France  and  fired  all  before  him,  and  burnt  the  city  of 
Nantes,  in  whose  walls  was  enclosed  an  anchoret,  who  might  but 
would  not  escape,  holding  it  a  breach  of  his  religious  vow  to  forsake 
his  cell  in  that  distress.'     Wordsworth  owned  and  had  annotated 


240  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

Chetwind's  Anthologia  Historica.     Cf.    Bowtes,    The   Grave  of  the 
Last  Saxon,  Introduction,  p.  x. 

5-8  '  Innocent  distress'  refers  to  the  victims  of  Norman  cruelty. 
Can  'penitent  guilt'  refer  to  William  himself?  Cf.  Chetwind  {op. 
cit.,  p.  210),  who  again  quotes  from  Speed:  'William  the  Conqueror 
dying,  hearing  the  great  bell  ring  Prime  to  our  Lady,  lifting  up  his 
hands,  said:  "I  commend  myself  to  that  Blessed  Lady  Mary, 
Mother  of  God,  that  she  by  her  hol}^  prayers  may  reconcile  me  to 
her  most  dear  Son,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  and  with  these  words 
yielded  up  the  ghost.'  Stow  {Chronicle,  p.  122)  gives  William's 
words  before  death:  'Being  laden  with  many  and  grievous  sins 
(O  Christ)  I  tremble,  and  being  ready  to  be  taken  by  and  by  unto 
the  terrible  examination  of  God,  I  am  ignorant  what  I  should  do, 
for  I  have  been  brought  up  in  the  feats  of  arms,  even  from  my 
childhood,  I  am  greatly  polluted  with  effusion  of  much  blood,  I 
can  by  no  means  number  the  evils  which  I  have  done.' 

9-11  Turner,  Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  3. 317-18:  'In  his  [Ingulfs] 
account  of  the  chivalric  hero,  Hereward,  who  flourished  in  the  time 
of  Edward  the  Confessor  and  afterwards,  he  says,  "His  brave 
actions  were  sung  in  England."  In  another  passage  the  monk 
informs  us  that  Hereward  died  at  last  in  peace,  and  was  buried  in 
their  monastery,  "after  great  battles,  and  a  thousand  dangers, 
frequently  dared  against  the  king,  earls,  barons,  and  magistrates, 
and  bravely  achieved,  as  is  yet  sung  in  the  streets."  '  That  Turner 
did  not  know  the  chronicle  of  Ingulf  to  be  a  forgery  is  here  un- 
important. He  quotes  Ingulf  for  the  life  of  Hereward,  and  retails 
at  length  the  circumstances  under  which  the  Saxon  became  an 
outlaw  {ibid.  3.140):  'It  was  in  Flanders  that  Hereward  heard  that 
the  Normans  had  conquered  England;  that  his  father  was  dead; 
that  the  Conqueror  had  given  his  inheritance  to  a  Norman;  and 
that  his  mother's  widowhood  was  afflicted  by  many  injuries  and 
distresses  [cf.  'innocent  distress'].  Transported  with  grief  at  the 
account,  he  hastened  with  his  wife  to  England,  and,  collecting  a 
body  of  her  relations,  he  thundered  on  the  oppressors  of  his  mother, 
and  drove  them  from  her  territory.'  There  follows  an  account  of 
Hereward's  consecration  as  a  legitimate  miles.  'Champion'  may 
refer  to  Harold. 

12-14  I  have  found  no  evidence  to  connect  these  lines  with 
Hereward.  They  may  have  been  a  reminiscence  of  the  tradition 
in  regard  to  Oswald  (Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Scllar,  p.  154): 
'Whence  it  came  to  pass  that  many  took  up  the  very  dust  of  the 
place  where  his  body  fell.'  Harold  was  buried  in  Waltham  Abbey. 
Cf.  Bowles,  op.  cit. 

1.33 

1-14  This  sonnet  is  a  versification  of  Fuller,  The  Holy  War,  p. 
12.  The  passage  is  quoted  in  full,  since  it  affords  a  notable  instance 
of  Wordsworth's  power  to  select  from,  to  arrange,  and  to  clarify, 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  241 

his  material.  The  italics  are  mine:  'But  to  return  to  Pope  Urban, 
who  was  zealous  in  the  cause  to  further  it,  and  called  a  Council  at 
Clermont  in  France,  where  met  many  Princes  and  Prelates  to  whom 
he  made  a  long  oration.  Authors  differ  in  the  mould,  but  they 
agree  in  the  metal,  that  it  was  to  this  effect:  F'irst,  he  bemoaned 
the  miseries  of  the  Christians  in  Asia,  and  the  vastation  of  those 
holy  places.  Jerusalem,  which  was  once  the  joy  of  the  whole 
earth,  was  now  become  the  grief  of  all  good  men:  the  Chapel  of 
Christ's  conception,  at  Nazareth,  birth,  at  Bethlehem,  burial,  on 
mount  Calvary,  ascension,  on  mount  Olivet,  once  the  fountains  of 
piety,  were  now  become  the  sinks  of  all  profafieness.  Next  he 
encouraged  the  Princes  in  the  Council  to  take  arms  against  those 
infidels,  and  to  break  their  bonds  in  sunder,  and  to  cast  their  cords 
far  from  them,  and  (as  it  is  written)  to  cast  out  the  handmaid  and 
her  children.  Otherwise,  if  they  would  not  help  to  quench  their 
neighbors'  houses,  they  must  expect  the  speedy  burning  of  their 
own,  and  that  these  barbarous  nations  would  quickly  overrun  all 
Europe.  Now,  to  set  an  edge  on  their  courage,  he  promised  to  all 
that  went  this  voyage  a  full  remission  of  their  sins,  and  penance 
here,  and  the  enjoying  heaven  hereafter.  Lastly,  thus  concluded, 
"Gird  your  swords  to  your  thighs,  0  ye  men  of  might.  It  is  our  parts 
to  pray,  yours  to  fight;  ours  iinth  Moses  to  hold  up  unwearied  hands 
to  God,  yours  to  stretch  forth  the  sword  against  these  children  of 
Amalek.     Amen." 

It  is  above  belief  with  what  cheerfulness  this  motion,  meeting 
with  an  active  and  religious  world,  was  generally  entertained;  so 
that  the  whole  assembly  cried  out,  God  willeth  it  [Deus  vult]:  a  speech 
which  was  afterwards  used  as  a  fortunate  watch-word  in  their  most 
dangerous  designs.  Then  took  many  of  them  a  cross  of  red  cloth 
on  their  right  shoulder,  as  a  badge  of  their  devotion;  and  to  gain 
the  favorable  assistance  of  the  Virgin  Mary  to  make  this  war  the 
more  happy,  her  office  was  instituted,  containing  certain  prayers, 
which  at  canonical  hours  were  to  be  made  unto  her.  U  fame, 
which  hath  told  many  a  lie  of  others,  be  not  herein  belied  herself, 
the  things  concluded  in  this  Council  were  the  same  night  reported  at 
impossible  distance  in  the  utmost  parts  of  Christendom.  What 
spiritual  intelligencers  there  should  be,  or  what  echoes  in  the  hollow 
arch  of  this  world  should  so  quickly  resound  news  from  the  one  side 
thereof  to  the  other,  belongeth  not  to  us  to  dispute.' 

6-8     Exodus  17.11. 

14  Knight  (P.  IF.,  Eversley  ed..  7.30)  and  N.  C.  Smith  {Poems 
2.514)  both  refer  this  line  to  Fuller's  Holy  War.  Wordsworth's 
note  is  as  follows:  'The  decision  of  this  council  was  believed  to  be 
instantly  known  in  remote  parts  of  Europe.'  The  device  of  the 
echo  had  been  used  in  White  Doe  670-87,  and  is  admirably  fitted 
to  the  sestet  of  a  sonnet.  Cf.  also  Milton,  Hymn  on  the  Morning 
of  Christ's  Nativity  99-102,  174-5. 


242  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1.34 

1-14  Fuller,  The  Holy  War,  p.  14.  The  italics  are  mine:  'Now 
that  the  Mahometans  (under  whom  the  Turks  and  Saracens  are 
comprehended,  differing  in  nation,  agreeing  in  religion  and  spite 
against  Christians)  were  now  justly  to  be  feared,  cannot  be  denied. 
So  vast  was  the  appetite  of  their  sword,  that  it  had  already  devoured 
Asia,  and  now  reserved  Grecia  for  the  second  course.  The  Bosporus 
was  too  narrow  a  ditch,  and  the  Empire  of  Grecia  too  low  an  hedge  to 
fence  the  Pagans  out  of  West- Christendom:  yea,  the  Saracens  had 
lately  wasted  Italy,  pillaged  and  burned  many  churches  near  Rome 
itself,  conquered  Spain,  inroded  Aquitaine,  and  possessed  some 
islands  in  the  mid-land-sea.  The  case  therefore  standing  thus,  this 
Holy  war  was  both  lawful  and  necessary:  which  like  unto  a  sharp 
pike  in  the  boss  of  a  buckler,  though  it  had  a  mixture  of  offending, 
yet  it  was  chiefly  of  a  defensive  nature,  to  which  all  preventive 
wars  are  justly  reduced.' 

9-10  Letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  Prose  Works  1.26:  'The 
incendiary  of  the  Crusades,  the  hermit  Peter.'  Cf.  also  Kilchurn 
41-3- 

J. 35 

I  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  5.26:  'This  lion-like  king/ 
Cf.  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  1.323-4. 

2-3  Fuller  {The  Holy  War,  p.  119),  quoting  Roger  Hoveden: 
'At  Tours  he  took  his  pilgrim's  scrip  and  staff  from  the  Archbishop. 
His  staff  at  the  same  time  casually  brake  in  pieces;  which  some 
(whose  dexterity  lay  in  sinister  interpreting  all  accidents)  construed 
a  token  of  ill  success.' 

4     Cf.  'mid-land-sea'  {ibid.,  p.  14). 

5-7  Daniel,  op.  cit.  5.7:  'And  during  his  abode  [in  Sicily]  .  .  . 
his  Mother-queen  Elioner  .  .  .  came  unto  him,  bringing  with  her 
Berenguela,  daughter  to  the  King  of  Navarre,  who  was  there 
fianced  unto  him.  Which  done,  queen  Elioner  departs  home  by 
the  way  of  Rome,  and  the  young  lady  with  the  Queen-dowager  of 
Sicily  take  their  journey  with  the  King;  who  sets  forth  with  an 
hundred  and  thirty  ships  and  fifty  galleys,  and  was  by  tempest 
driven  to  the  Isle  of  Cyprus;  where,  being  denied  landing,  he 
assails  the  Isle  on  all  sides,  subdues  it,  places  his  garrisons  therein, 
and  commits  the  custody  of  the  vsame  to  Richard  do  Canvile  and 
Robert  de  Turnham,  taking  half  the  goods  of  the  inhabitants  from 
them;  in  lieu  thereof  he  confirmed  the  use  of  their  own  laws.  And 
here,  our  histories  say,  he  married  the  I«ady  Berenguela,  and  caused 
her  to  be  crowned  queen.  .  .  .  From  hence  passes  this  famous 
King  to  the  Holy  Land.'  Cf.  Fuller,  op.  cit.,  p.  121:  'And  because 
Cyprus  by  antiquity  was  celebrated  as  the  seat  of  Venus,  that  so 
it  might  prove  to  him,  in  the  joyous  month  of  May  he  solemnly 
took  to  wife  his  beloved  Lady  Beringaria.' 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  243 

10  Dyer  {Hist.  Camh.  i.  facing  63)  gives  an  engraving  of 
Richard  I  with  a  battle-axe. 

lo-ii  Fuller,  op.  cit.,  p.  127,  of  the  march  to  Jerusalem: 
'  Richard  led  the  vantguard  of  Knglish.  .  .  ,  Saladine,  serpent-like 
biting  the  heel,  assaulted  the  rear,  not  far  from  Bethlehem;  when 
the  French  and  English  wheeling  about  charged  the  Turks  most 
furiously.  .  .  .  King  Richard  seeking  to  put  his  courage  out  of 
doubt,  brought  his  judgment  into  question,  being  more  prodigal  of 
his  person  than  beseemed  a  general.  One  wound  he  received,  but 
by  losing  his  blood  he  found  his  spirits,  and  laid  about  him  like 
a  mad-man.* 

12  Ibid.,  p.  123,  of  Richard's  massacre  of  Turkish  captives: 
'For  which  fact  he  suffered  much  in  his  repute,  branded  with 
rashness  and  cruelty,  as  the  murderer  of  many  Christians;  for 
Saladine  in  revenge  put  as  many  of  our  captives  to  death.' 

13  F'uller,  ibid.,  p.  112,  on  the  abuse  of  the  office  of  titular 
bishop:  'His  Holiness  hath  a  facile  and  cheap  way  both  to  gratify 
and  engage  ambitious  spirits,  and  such  chameleons  as  love  to  feed 
on  air.'  Cf.  also  Daniel,  op.  cit.  5.106:  'Many  now  began  to 
discover  that  the  Pope,  by  this  embarking  the  princes  of  Christen- 
dom in  this  remote  and  consuming  war,  to  waste  th^n,  their 
nobility,  and  kingdom,  w^as  but  only  to  extend  his  owti  power 
and  domination.' 

1.36 

I  For  the  excommunication  of  the  King  of  England  and,  in  the 
same  year,  the  Emperor  Otho,  see  Daniel  {Works,  ed.  by  Grosart, 
5.44-5);  see  also  his  account  {ibid.  5.66)  of  the  excommunication 
of  Louis. 

2-4  Fuller  {Ch.  Hist.  1.336)  gives  the  effects  of  the  interdict, 
among  them  'a  terrible  impression  made  in  men's  minds  of  the 
pope's  power,  which  they  had  often  heard  of,  and  now  saw  and 
felt,  whose  long  arm  could  reach  from  Rome  all  over  England,  and 
lock  the  doors  of  all  churches  there;  an  emblem  that,  in  like  manner, 
he  had  or  might  have  bolted  the  gates  of  heaven  against  them.' 

5-6  Cf.  Inscriptions  4.18,  of  which  Wordsworth  wrote  {Letters 
^•537):  *I  ought  to  mention  that  the  line  "And  things  of  holy  use 
unliallowed  lie"  is  taken  from  the  following  of  Daniel:  "Straight 
all  that  holy  was  unhallowed  lies"  '  [see  Musophihts,  stanza  46]. 

5-12  Fuller,  op.  cit.  1.335-6:  'See  now  on  a  sudden  the  sad  face 
of  the  English  church! — a  face  without  a  tongue,  no  singing  of 
service,  no  saying  of  mass,  no  reading  of  prayers;  as  for  preaching 
of  sermons,  the  laziness  and  ignorance  of  those  times  had  long 
before  interdicted  them.  None  need  pity  the  living  (hearing  the 
impatient  complaints  of  lovers,  for  whose  marriage  no  license  could 
be  procured),  when  he  looks  on  the  dead,  who  were  buried  in 
ditches,  like  dogs,  without  any  prayers  said  upon  them.' 


244  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

12-14  Ihid.  1.336:  'Seeing  these  people  believed  that  a  grave 
in  consecrated  ground  was  a  good  step  to  heaven,  and  were  taught 
that  prayers  after  their  death  were  essential  to  their  salvation,  it 
must  needs  put  strange  fears  into  the  heads  and  hearts  both  of 
such  which  deceased  and  their  friends  which  survived  them.' 

1-37 

1-8  Directly  before  this  sonnet  in  MS.  F  comes  the  sonnet  now 
printed  with  Memorials  Tour  Cont.  1820  as  XXXIV.  The  *  uncouth 
proximities'  and  'bold  transfigurations'  may  very  well  be  those  of 
MS.  F  (p.  91).  Cf.  Dorothy  Wordsworth's  description  of  'the 
sky's  fantastic  element'  seen  by  herself,  Mary  Wordsworth,  and 
Wordsworth  on  their  journey  home  from  the  marriage,  1802 
(Journals  1.150-1).     Cf.  Convention  of  Cintra,  Prose  Works  1.193. 

9  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  1.317:  'Nor  did  only  the  purse,  but  the 
person,  of  King  Henry  do  penance;  who,  walking  some  miles 
barefoot,  suffered  himself  to  be  whipped  on  the  naked  back  by  the 
monks  of  Canterbury.' 

10-12  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  5.49-50:  '[King  John] 
not  only  grants  restitution  and  satisfaction  of  whatever  had  been 
taken  from  the  Archbishop  and  the  monks  of  Canterbury,  the 
Bishops  of  London,  Ely,  Bath,  and  Lincoln  (who  were  fled  to  the 
Archbishop);  but  also  lays  down  his  crown,  scepter,  mantle,  sword, 
and  ring,  the  ensigns  of  his  royalty,  at  the  feet  of  Pandolphus, 
delivering  up  therewithal  the  kingdom  of  England  to  the  Pope, 
and  submits  himself  to  the  judgment  and  mercy  of  the  Church.' 

12-13  Ibid.  5.53-4:  'A  Parliament  is  assembled  in  Pauls, 
wherein  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  produces  a  charter  of  King 
Henry  the  First,  whereby  he  granted  the  ancient  liberties  of  the 
kingdom  of  England  .  .  .  according  to  the  laws  of  King  Edward. 
.  .  .  And  this  charter  being  read  before  the  barons,  they  much 
rejoiced,  and  swore  in  the  presenceof  the  Archbishop  that  for  these 
liberties  they  would,  if  need  required,  spend  their  blood.'  Daniel's 
list  of  events  follows  (ibid.  5.56-63): 

'  King  John  bribes  the  Pope  and  renews  his  oath. 
The  interdiction  released. 
The  famous  battle  of  Bovines. 
King  John  takes  upon  him  the  cross  to  secure 

himself  from  the  barons. 
The  lords  seize  on  the  King's  castles. 
The  lords  repair  to  London. 
King  John  forsaken  of  his  people. 
The  King  sends  to  levy  foreign  forces.' 

14  Ibid.  5.63:  'And,  had  not  Hugh  de  Boues  (to  whom  liie 
countries  of  Suffolk  and  Norfolk  were  allotted  for  service  to  be 
done),  setting  forth  from  Calice  with  forty  thousand  more  (men, 
women,  and  children),  been  l)y  a  sudden  tempest  drowned  in  the 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  245 

sea,  he  had  made  an  universal  conquest  of  tlie  kingdom  far  more 
miserable  than  the  Norman;  considering  that  with  those  he  had,  he 
wrought  so  much  as  we  shall  hear  presently  he  did.' 

1.38 

1-14  Wordsworth,  Fenwick  note  on  Eccl.  Son.:  'The  sonnets 
were  written  long  before  ecclesiastical  history  and  points  of  doctrine 
had  excited  the  interest  witli  which  they  have  been  recently  en- 
quired into  and  discussed.  The  former  particular  is  mentioned  as 
an  excuse  for  my  having  fallen  into  error  in  respect  to  an  incident 
which  had  been  selected  as  setting  forth  the  height  to  which  the 
power  of  the  Popedom  over  temporal  sovereignty  had  attained, 
and  the  arrogance  with  which  it  was  displayed.  I  allude  to  the 
last  sonnet  but  one  in  the  first  series,  where  Pope  Alexander  the 
Third  at  Venice  is  described  as  setting  foot  on  the  neck  of  the 
Emperor  Barbarossa.  Though  this  is  related  as  a  fact  in  history, 
I  am  told  it  is  a  mere  legend  of  no  authority.  Substitute  for  it  an 
undeniable  truth  not  less  fitted  for  my  purpose,  namely  the  penance 
inflicted  by  Gregory  the  Seventh  upon  the  Emperor  Henry  the 
Fourth.' 

I     Cf.  Desc.  Sk.  69-70. 

2-9  Foxe  (Acts  and  Monuments  1.185)  gives  a  lively  account 
of  this  scene,  and  a  picture  of  '  Pope  Alexander  treading  on  the 
neck  of  Frederick  the  Emperor':  *In  this  most  do  agree,  that  the 
Pope  being  at  Venice,  and  required  to  be  sent  of  the  Venetians  to 
the  Emperor,  they  would  not  send  him.  Whereupon  Fredericus 
the  Emperor  sent  thither  his  son  Otho,  w^ith  men  and  ships  well 
appointed,  charging  him  not  to  attempt  anything  before  his  coming. 
The  young  man,  more  hardy  than  circumspect,  (joining  with  the 
Venetians)  was  overcome,  and  so  taken,  was  brought  into  the  city. 
Hereby  the  Pope  took  no  small  occasion  to  work  his  feats. 

'The  father,  to  help  the  captivity  and  misery  of  his  son,  was 
compelled  to  submit  himself  to  the  Pope,  and  to  entreat  for  peace. 
So  the  Emperor,  coming  to  Venice  (at  St.  Mark's  church,  where 
the  bishop  was,  there  to  take  his  absolution),  was  bid  to  kneel  dowa 
at  the  Pope's  feet. 

'The  proud  Pope,  setting  his  foot  upon  the  Emperor's  neck,  said 
the  verse  of  the  Psalm  [91.13]:  "Super  aspidem  et  basiliscum 
ambulabis,  et  conculcabis  leonem  et  draconem";  that  is,  "Thou 
shalt  walk  upon  the  adder  and  on  the  basilisk,  and  shalt  tread  dowrt 
the  lion  and  the  dragon."  To  whom  the  Emperor,  answering 
again,  said:  "  Non  tibi  sed  Petro,"  that  is,  "Not  to  thee  but  to 
Peter."  The  Pope  again:  "  Et  mihi,  et  Petro,"  "Both  to  me  and 
to  Peter."  The  Emperor,  fearing  to  give  any  occasion  of  further 
quarrelling,  held  his  peace,  and  so  was  absolved,  and  peace  made 
between  them.' 


246  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

5-7  Has  Wordsworth  mistaken  Frederick  Barbarossa  of  whom 
Fuller  says  [Holy  War,  pp.  1 14-15)  'Saladin  shook  for  fear,  hearing 
of  his  coming  [1190].  .  .  .  But  Frederick  the  Emperor,  being  now 
entering  into  the  Holy  Land,  was  to  the  great  grief  of  all  Christians 
suddenly  taken  away,  being  drowned  in  the  river  of  Saleph,'  for 
Frederick  II,  whose  exploits  in  the  Holy  Land  Fuller  retails  at 
length  {ihid.,  pp.  159-64)?  The  humiliation  of  the  former  was  sup- 
posed to  take  place  in  11 64;  the  latter,  Fuller  says,  was  excommuni- 
cated by  Gregory  the  Ninth  in  1227,  and  lived  to  return  from  Pales- 
tine. 

10-14  Foxe  {Acts  and  Monuments  1.719,  720,  721,  722,  723, 
724,  725)  gives  pictures  of  papal  abuse;  in  them  are  evident  on 
the  faces  of  the  'crowd'  'amazement,'  'sorrow,'  'abject  sympathy,' 
and  'scorn.' 

1-39 
•  I     Shakespeare,  Measure  for  Measure  3.1. 122: 

To  be  imprisoned  in  the  viewless  winds. 

Cf.  Letters  2.4.2;  and  White  Doe  1834.  'Viewless'  occurs  in  such 
diverse  poems  as  Charlotte  Smith's  sonnet.  Night,  'To  sullen  surges 
and  the  viewless  wind,'  and  Abel  Shufflebottom's  [Southey's]  second 
Elegy  on  Delia,  'viewless  feet.'  Dorothy  Wordsworth  had  com- 
plained of  Wordsworth's  use  of  it  in  An  Evening  Walk  and  Desc. 
Sketches  (Letters  1.50). 

3-4  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  5.45:  'A  predomination 
beyond  the  bounds  allowed  unto  piety,  which  was  only  to  deal  with 
men's  souls,  and  not  their  estates.' 

5  The  'Bard'  may  well  have  been  Virgil:  'quis  enim  modus 
adsit  amori'  (Ec.  2.68)  and  'omnia  vincit  Amor'  {Ec.  10.69). 

6-7  Virgil,  Mneid  6.853,  of  the  imperial  power  of  Rome :  '  Parcere 
subiectis  et  debellare  superbos.'  Foxe  {Acts  and  Mon.  1.184)  gives 
Pope  Adrian's  letter  to  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa:  'We 
are  taught  by  the  word  of  truth,  that  every  one,  the  which  exalteth 
himself,  shall  be  brought  low.' 

8  Foxe,  ibid.  1.164,  quoting  the  bull  of  Hildebrand  for  the 
second  excommunication  of  Henry:  'Therefore,  O  you  blessed 
princes  of  the  apostles,  grant  to  this,  and  confirm  with  your  author- 
ity that  I  have  said,  so  that  all  men  may  understand,  if  you  have 
power  to  bind  and  loose  in  heaven,  you  have  also  power  in  earth 
to  give  and  take  away  empire,  kingdoms,  principalities,  and  what- 
soever here  in  earth  bclongeth  to  mortal  men.  For  if  you  have 
power  to  judge  in  such  matters  as  appertain  to  God,  what  then 
should  we  think  you  have  of  these  inferior  and  profane  things? 
And  if  it  be  in  your  power  to  judge  the  angels,  ruling  over  proud 
princes,  what  then  shall  it  beseem  you  to  do  upon  their  servants?' 
Cf.  Processions  64-7,  in  Mem.  Tour.  Cont.  1820. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  247 

9  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  1.337,  o"  the  excommunication  of  John  and 
Otho:  'For  now  liis  Holiness  had  his  hand  in,  liaving  about  this 
time  exconnnunicatcd  Otho  the  German  L^mperor;  and  if  the 
imperial  cedar  had  so  lately  been  blasted  with  his  thunderbolts,  no 
wonder  if  the  L^nglish  oak  felt  the  same  fire.* 

^  10-14  Daniel,  op.  at.  5.48:  'But  now  the  Pope,  for  the  last 
and  greatest  sentence  that  ever  yet  was  given  against  any  sovereign 
king  of  this  kingdom,  pronounces  his  absolute  deposition  from  the 
royal  government  thereof,  and  writes  to  the  King  of  France,  that 
as  he  looked  to  have  remission  of  his  sins,  he  should  take  the  charge 
upon  him,  and  expel  King  John  out  of  the  kingdom  of  England, 
and  possess  the  same  for  him  and  his  heirs  for  ever.' 

2.1 

1-14     For  the  date  of  this  sonnet,  see  pp.  29-30,  54. 

1-4  One  of  the  few  references  in  Eccl.  Son.  to  ecclesiastical 
doctrine. 

3     Milton,  P.  L.  3.221:    'The  deadly  forfeiture.' 

7  Milton,  Ilymn  on  the  Morning  of  Christ's  Nativity  30:  'While 
the  Heav'n-born  childe.'  'Heaven-born'  is  used  by  Wordsworth 
nine  times;  and  once  each,  'heaven-blest,'  'heaven-deserted,' 
'heaven-eyed,'  'heaven-guided,'  'heaven-imparted,'  'heaven-lit'; 
'heaven-directed'  occurs  twice  in  his  poems,  and  'heaven-de- 
scended' three  times. 

8  Cf.  Excursion  4.908:   'The  weeds  of  Romish  phantasy.* 

9-14  Cf.  Epitaphs  2,  Prose  Works  2.147:  '[The  churchyard]  is 
a  far  more  faithful  representation  of  homely  life  as  existing  among 
a  community  in  which  circumstances  have  not  been  untoward, 
than  any  report  which  might  be  made  by  a  rigorous  observer 
deficient  in  that  spirit  of  forbearance  and  those  kindly  preposses- 
sions without  which  human  life  can  in  no  condition  be  profitably 
looked  at  or  described.' 

2.2 

1-14  For  the  date  of  this  sonnet,  see  pp.  29-30,  54.  How  far 
this  late  attempt  to  do  'justice  to  the  papal  Church  for  the  services 
which  she  did  actuall}^  render  to  Christianity  and  humanity  in  the 
Middle  Ages'  (facsimile,  p.  32)  is  due  to  definite  experience,  or  to 
reading,  it  is  hard  to  say.  Did  W  ordsworth  know  Kenelm  Henry 
Digby's  Mores  Catholici  as  he  knew  his  Broadstone  of  Honour?  He 
had  read  and  annotated  the  Letters  of  Pope  Clement  XIV'  {Catalogue 
of  the  Library  of  Walter  Thomas  Wallace;  Wordsworth's  copy  of 
this  book  is  said  to  bear  the  inscription  'Bought  at  Ambleside, 
April,  1825').  Cf.  'spiritual  tower,'  'gentle,'  'Justice  and  Peace,' 
'sheltering,'  'abused,'  with  the  following  passage  of  Clement's 
Letters,  edition  of  1793,  Dublin,  1.286:    'But  the  world  will  never 


248  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

be  without  abuses;  if  they  are  not  in  one  place,  they  are  in  another, 
because  imperfections  are  the  natural  inheritance  of  humanity. 
"There  is  none  but  the  holy  City,"  said  the  great  Augustine, 
"where  all  will  be  in  order,  in  peace,  and  in  charity;  for  there 
shall  be  the  Kingdom  of  God."  '  Cf.  also  Clement's  Circular  Letter 
on  his  advancement  {ibid.  1.3);  in  it  recur  the  words  'tenderness' 
and  'justice.'  Southey's  account  of  the  papal  system  may  be  read 
in  his  Book  of  the  Church  (1.292  ff.).     Cf.  Milton,  P.  R.  1.219,  4.83. 

2.3 

1-5  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.3:  '"Bonum  est  nos  hie  esse,  quia 
homo  vivit  purius,  cadit  rarius,  surgit  velocius,'  incedit  cautius, 
quiescit  securius,  moritur  felicius,  purgatur  citius,  praemiatur 
copiosius." — Bernard.  "This  sentence,"  says  Dr.  Whitaker,  "is 
usually  inscribed  in  some  conspicuous  part  of  the  Cistertian 
houses."'  Cf.  Whitaker's  An  History  of  the  Original  Parish  of 
Whalley  and  the  Honor  of  Clitheroe,  second  edition,  1806,  p.  48, 
where  Bernard's  words  are  used  to  introduce  book  2,  chapter  2, 
Locus  Benedictus  de  Whalley.  Whitaker's  note  reads:  'A  sentence 
usually  inscribed  on  some  conspicuous  part  of  the  Cistertian  houses.' 
The  passage  from  Bernard  is  also  quoted  by  Weever  (Funeral 
Monuments,  London,  1757,  pp.  cxxxii-cxxxiii),  and  follows  a  similar 
statement:  'In  his  time  [Bernard's],  by  himself  and  his  means,  one 
hundred  and  six  abbeys  of  this  order  were  built  and  re-established; 
upon  the  fore  front  or  some  other  places  within  these  abbeys,  this 
sentence  is  most  commonly  depenciled,  graven,  or  painted;  taken 
out  of  St.  Bernard.'  I  am  indebted  to  Monsignor  John  T.  Slattery 
for  help  in  tracing  the  Bernardine  passage  to  the  Homilia  de  Bonis 
Margaritis.  This  is  printed  by  Mabillon  (Sancti  Bernardi  Opera 
Omnia,  vol.  ii,  pars  altera,  tom.  v,  1536C,  in  the  4th  edition.  Paris, 
1839)  as  Homilia,  In  illud  Matthaei,  cap.  XIII  §45:  Simile  est 
regnum  coelorum  homini  negotiatori  quaerenti  bonas  margaritas. 
Mabillon  says:  'Tribuiter  communiter  Bernardo,  quanquam  nee 
illius  videatur.  Deest  apud  Horstium.'  The  passage  differs  some- 
what from  the  version  given  by  Weever,  Whitaker,  and  Words- 
worth: 'Nonne  haec  religio  sancta,  pura  et  immaculata,  in  ciua 
homo  vivit  purius,  cadit  rarius,  surgit  velocius,  incedit  cautius, 
irroratur  frequentius,  quiescit  securius,  moritur  fiducius,  purgatur 
citius,  praemiatur  copiosius?'  Again  through  the  courtesy  of 
Monsignor  Slattery,  I  am  able  to  quote  from  an  investigation 
made  in  the  Convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  Manhattanville,  New 
York  City,  '(i)  The  passage  as  quoted  for  the  Inscription  is 
undoubtedly  genuine.  It  is  part  of  the  Speculum  Rclioiosiini  which 
does  the  work  of  admonition  in  monasteries  where  habitual  silence 
is  observed.  Among  the  Cistercians  these  inscriptions  are  mostly 
taken  from  St.  Bernard's  sayings  or  Scripture.  .  .  .  They  arc  found 
in  the  hall,  over  the  gates,  in  refectory,  sacristy,  etc.  The  habit  comes 
into  the  Benedictine  Order  as  early  as  Alcuin.  ...   (2)  The  fact 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  249 

that  the  Inscription  slightly  differs  from  the  text  of  the  sermon  has, 
I  believe,  no  critical  significance  as  a  variant.  The  prefatory 
"Bonum  est  nos  hie  esse"  is  itself  not  only  a  scriptural  phrase  but 
a  Bernardine  one  also.  It  is  the  answer  to  the  "Cur  hie"  which 
in  the  sermon  takes  the  form  "  Nonne  haec  religio,"  addressing  the 
question  to  the  brethren.  But  as  a  tessera  on  the  monastery  wall 
it  is  a  simple  statement  recalling  the  "Pax"  of  the  old  Flounder, 
St.  Benedict,  as  the  promise  of  the  religious  life.  Similarly  must 
the  omission  of  the  phrase  "irroratur  frequentius"  and  the  sub- 
stitution of  "fclicius"  for  "fiducius"  be  explained.  The  former  as 
the  "aspersio  aquae  benedictae"  belongs  to  the  Abbot  and  the 
celebrant  of  Mass.  Its  propriety  in  the  sermon  would  be  lost  in 
an  inscription.  And  though  a  preacher  may  convey  his  meaning 
and  stir  devotion  by  the  use  of  a  word  like  "fiducius,"  which  is 
bad  Latin  though  good  etymology,  the  word  "felicius"  is  the  one 
St.  Bernard  or  a  Bernardine  would  use  in  writing.  (3)  .  .  .  As 
Mabillon  gives  no  reference  as  to  whence  he  got  this  sermon,  .  .  . 
we  are  constrained  to  believe  that  he  found  it  among  the  sermons 
of  Guericius,  whom  he  mentions  in  his  preface  to  the  Additamenta 
as  his  source.  There  is  an  edition  of  Guerrici's  Sermones,  but 
obviously  this  is  not  among  them.  The  editors  of  the  Opera 
S.  Bernardi  published  before  Horstius  do  not  appear  to  have 
known  the  sermon;  at  least  I  find  no  mention  in  those  examined, 
the  first  of  which  is  a  Venice  edition  of  1549  by  Franciscus 
Comestor,  of  the  Paris  Sorbonne.  which  bears  the  legend  "opera 
quae  in  hunc  usque  diem  extare  noscuntur."  ...  [It  may  be] 
that  Mabillon  discovered  the  AIS.  in  some  monastery  during 
his  journeys,  made  as  we  know  with  the  special  object  of  collecting 
the  authentic  works  of  St.  Bernard.  .  .  .  Only  experts  could  have 
told  from  paleographical  tokens  that  this  sermon  of  the  "Margarita 
pretiosa"  was  not  to  be  attributed  to  St.  Bernard;  for  such  phrases 
as  "quae  mens  cogitare,  quis  intellectus  plene  cognoscere,  quae 
lingua  humana  te  poterit  sufficienter  et  digne  extollere?  o  religio 
gloriosa  et  mirabilis,"  echo  the  "  Dulcis  memoria"  to  perfection.' 

5  Wordsworth's  poetry  contains  other  memorials  of  the  'Cis- 
tertian  wall.'  Tintern  Abbey,  'Bolton's  old  monastic  tower,*  and 
Furness  Abbey,  all  belonged  to  this  order.  Cf.  Journals  1.14,^  and 
1. 1 50.  In  Prelude  2.55-65  and  95-107  Wordsworth  bears  witness 
that  his  memories  of  oarsmanship  and  horsemanship  were  bound  up 
with  images  of  monastic  architecture:  'the  shrine  once  to  our  Lady 
dedicate,'  '  the  abbey  to  St.  Mary's  honour  built.'  And  in  Excursion 
3.392-420  he  had  made  the  Solitary  a  spokesman  for  monastic 
quiet,  the  'undissolving  fellowship,'  the  'yearning,'  'the  universal 
instinct  of  repose.' 

lo-ii  Whitaker,  History  and  Antiquities  of  the  Deanery  of 
Craven,  London,  1805,  p.  38:  'The  influence  of  the  earlier  monks 
on  the  laity  of  all  ranks  and  descriptions  was  prodigious;  in  fact 
they  nearly  monopolized  the  arts,  the  learning,  and  the  religion  of 


250  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

their  times.  Cooled  by  modern  philosophy,  accustomed  to  modern 
elegance,  and  diverted  by  a  thousand  other  objects  of  attention, 
we  still  continue  to  be  delighted  and  astonished  with  their  archi- 
tecture. .  .  .  The  pomp  and  pageantry  of  their  worship  steals 
insensibly  upon  the  imagination,  in  defiance  of  enlightened  reason, 
of  Protestant  principle,  and  of  perceptions  blunted  by  factitious 
enjoyments  of  every  kind:  how  easy  then  must  it  have  been  to 
bribe  the  senses  of  rustics.' 

12-14  Turner  {Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  3.528),  in  his  account  of  the 
building  of  the  Benedictine  monastery  of  Ramsey,  supplied  Words- 
worth with  the  images  for  these  three  lines:  'The  ealdorman 
[said]  that  he  had  some  hereditary  land  surrounded  with  marshes, 
and  remote  from  human  intercourse.  It  was  near  a  forest  [cf. 
'sylvan']  of  various  sorts  of  trees,  which  had  several  open  spots  of 
good  turf,  and  others  of  fine  grass  for  pasture.  .  .  .  Artificers  were 
collected.  The  neighborhood  joined  in  the  labor.  Twelve  monks 
came  from  another  cloister  to  form  the  new  fraternity.  Their 
cells  and  a  chapel  were  soon  raised.  In  the  next  winter  they 
provided  the  iron  and  timber  and  utensils  that  were  wanted  for  a 
handsome  church.  In  the  spring,  amid  the  fenny  soil,  a  firm 
foundation  was  laid.  The  workmen  labored  as  much  from  devotion 
as  for  profit.  Some  brought  the  stones;  others  made  the  cement; 
others  applied  to  the  wheel  machinery  that  raised  them  on  high. 
And  in  a  reasonable  time,  the  sacred  edifice,  with  two  towers, 
appeared  on  what  had  been  before  a  desolate  waste;  and  Abbo, 
celebrated  for  his  literature,  was  invited  from  Fleury  to  take  charge 
of  the  schools  that  were  appended  to  it.' 

2.4 

1-14  This  sonnet,  originally,  published  in  the  volume  of  1835, 
was  there  placed  after  the  Stanzas  Suggested  in  a  Steamboat  off  St. 
Bees'  Heads,  Wordsworth's  most  generous  account. of  monasticism. 
The  evident  similarity  of  the  sonnet  and  lines  136-44  of  the 
Stanzas  indicates  that  the  conceptions  were  identical: 

Who  with  the  ploughshare  clove  the  barren  moors, 
And  to  green  meadows  changed  the  swampy  shores?} 
Thinned  the  rank  woods;  and  for  the  cheerful  grange 
Made  room  where  wolf  and  boar  were  used  to  range? 
Who  taught,  and  showed  by  deeds,  that  gentler  chains 
Should  bind  the  vassal  to  his  lord's  domains? 
The  thoughtful  Monks,  intent  their  God  to  please, 
For  Christ's  dear  sake,  by  human  sympathies 
Poured  from  the  bosom  of  thy  Church,  St.  Bees! 

Cf.  Turner,  Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  3.108-9:  'If  the  mass  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  population  had  continued  in  this  servile  state,  the  progress 
of  the  nation  in  the  improvements  of  society  would  have  been  very 
small.     But  a  better  destiny  awaited  them;    the  custom  of  manu- 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  251 

mission  began,  and  tiie  diffusion  of  Christianity,  by  mildly  at- 
tempering the  feelings  of  the  individual,  and  by  com})elling  him  to 
cultivate  acts  of  benevolence  as  a  religious  duty,  increased  the 
prevalence  of  the  practice.'  Of  the  slaves  Turner  says  {ibid.  3.103) : 
'They  were  bought  and  sold  with  land,  and  were  conveyed  in  the 
grants  of  it  promiscuously  with  tlie  cattle  and  other  property 
upon  it.' 

2.5 

1-4  Fuller  {Ch.  Hist.  1.398-9)  enumerates  as  English  schoolmen 
Alexander  Hales,  Roger  Bacon,  Richard  Middleton,  John  Duns 
Scotus,  Gualter  Burley,  John  Baconthorpe,  William  Ocham 
(POccam),  Robert  Holcot,  and  Thomas  Bradwardine;  respectively: 
doctors  irrefragabilis,  mirabilis,  fundatissimus,  subtilis,  approbatus, 
resolutus,  singularis,  (no  title  for  Holcot),  profundus.  Whitaker 
{Hist.  Craven,  p.  38)  refers  to  the  many-sided  life  of  the  cloister, 
its  'talents  for  intrigue  and  government,  for  husbandry,  internal 
economy,  arithmetic,  architecture,  painting,  music,  calligraphy, 
instruction  of  youth,  entertainment  of  strangers,  epistolary  corre- 
spondence, medicine,  canon  law,  and  theology.' 

3-7  Fuller  particularly  mentions  William  of  Occam,  a  supporter 
of  Lewis  of  Bavaria  against  the  pope;  Occam  exhorted  his  master 
in  these  words  {op.  cit.  1.402):  '  Defende  me  gladio,  et  ego  te 
defendam  verbo.'  Moreover,  since  Wordsworth  would  have  been 
familiar  with  Thomas  Bradwardine  through  Chaucer's  Nuns 
Priest's  Tale  420-2,  he  would  be  apt  to  make  especial  note  of 
Fuller's  description  of  Bradwardine  {op.  cit.  1.431):  'He  was 
confessor  to  King  EdwarcLIII,  whose  miraculous  victories  in  France 
some  impute  more  to  thi soman's  devout  prayers  than  either  to  the 
policy  or  prowess  of  the  English  nation.'  The  likelihood  that  it 
is  Bradwardine's  'fervent  exhortations'  to  which  Wordsworth  refers 
finds  support  in  a  description  of  the  'fair  court  of  Edward'  two 
sonnets  farther  on,  2.7.  Cf.  iNIontalembert's  account  of  Bernard 
{Monks  of  the  West,  Edinburgh  and  London,  1861,  1.2);  and,  as 
Professor  Cooper  suggests.  Bacon's  reference  to  Aristotle  and  Alex- 
ander in  Book  I  of  the  Advancement  of  Learning  (ed.  by  Cook,  p.  11). 
Cf.  also  White  Doe  290-307,  and  97-9. 

lo-ii  Professor  Cooper  suggests  that  'yoke  of  thought'  may 
refer  to  Aquinas,  'the  dumb  Ox.'  Likewise  'subtle'  recalls  Duns 
Scotus,  'doctor  subtilis.'     Cf.  Bacon,  op.  cit.,  pp.  31-2. 

II  Cf.  the  famous  figure  in  Boethius'  Consolation  of  Philosophy , 
'  Vesteserant  tenuissimis  filis  subtili  artificio  .  .   .  perfectae.' 

12-14  The  transition  from  'the  intellectual  sphere'  to  'the 
starry  throng'  was  a  familiar  one  in  Wordsworth's  sources.  Dyer 
{Hist.  Camb.  1.147)  wrote  of  the  schoolmen:  'They  dwelt  on 
principles,  matter,  form,  and.  essences;  distinctions  often  too  nice 
to  be  seen,  or  too  mysterious  to  be  understood.  They  had,  how- 
ever, a  Latin  translation  of  Euclid,  and  professed  to  teach  astron- 


252  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

omy.'  Turner  {Hist.  Angl.  Sax.  3429),  referring  to  the  subjects 
of  the  scholastic  education  at  York  in  the  eighth  century,  quotes 
Gale,  Hist.  Brit.  Scriptores  XV,  p.  728:  'The  harmony  of  the  sky, 
the  labor  of  the  sun  and  moon,  the  five  zones,  the  seven  wandering 
planets.  The  laws,  risings,  and  settings  of  the  stars,  and  the  aerial 
motions  of  the  sea;  earthquakes;  the  natures  of  man,  cattle,  birds, 
and  wild  beasts;  their  various  species  and  figures;  the  sacred 
Scriptures.' 

Wordsworth's  other  estimate  of  Schoolmen,  Misc.  Son.  2.32,  is 
not  so  benign.  Since  '  Dogmatic  Teachers,'  '  wrangling  Schoolmen,' 
'subtle  speculations  haply  vain,'  and  'far-fetched  themes'  were 
phrases  brought  to  publication  in  1820,  the  two  years  succeeding 
saw  a  marked  change  in  Wordsworth's  attitude  toward  the  exercises 
of  mediaeval  philosophy,  a  change  possibly  caused  by  sympathetic 
research.     Cf.  Prelude  6.294-305. 

2.6 

1-14  Dyer  {Hist.  Camh.  1.2-3)  has  a  passage  in  which  occur  the 
main  ideas  of  Eccl.  Son.  2.5,  2.6,  2.7,  2.8,  2. 11:  'True  it  is,  these 
times  were  the  periods  so  bustling,  and  military,  and  full  of  events: 
private  feuds  and  public  insurrections  left  little  room  for  the  calm 
studies  of  literature;  wars  and  devastations,  massacres,  rebellions 
and  revolutions,  were  the  ordinary  occurrences,  diversified  indeed, 
and,  it  may  be,  somewhat  embellished  by  feats  of  chivalry,  and 
tales  of  romance.  It  was  the  age  of  refined  savagery.  Philosophy 
was  not  to  be  found  in  the  halls  of  princes,  nor  in  the  castles  of 
their  nobles;  their  ambition  was  in  the  field,  and  their  profession 
was  only  arms.  But  they  had  moment*  of  pause  and  reflection; 
then  they  founded  religious  houses  and  colleges.  Thither,  as  to  a 
focus,  all  their  scattered  rays  of  knowledge  were  drawn;  and  all  we 
can  know  of  their  philosophy  and  literature  we  must  be  content  to 
gather  amidst  dreams  of  monks,  and  impostures  of  the  priesthood.' 

2  Baker,  Chroriicle,  p.  136,  of  Edward  III:  'No  man  was  more 
gentle,  where  there  was  submission;  where  opposition,  no  man 
more  stern.' 

4  Daniel  (Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  5.2S8-9),  recounts  the  'works 
of  piety'  of  Edward  III,  among  them  'his  augmenting  the  chapel 
at  Windsor,  and  provisions  there  for  churchmen,  and  24  poor 
knights.' 

2.7 

1-14     Cf.  the  first  note  on  2.6. 

1-5  'Sounds,'  'gleam,'  and  'fragrance'  indicate  the  appeal 
Wordsworth  would  make  to  the  three  senses.  He  possessed  Stow's 
Chronicle,  and  might  well  have  read  the  account  there  given  (pp. 
227-77)  of  the  pomp,  jousts,  and  feasts  of  Edward's  reign. 

6-8  Wordsworth's  verses  in  imitation  of  Juvenal  (Letters  1.94) 
refer  to  Edward  as  'the  flower  of  chivalry.'  Cf.  Spenser,  Pro- 
thalamion,  stanza  9. 


OP'    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  253 

9-12  Stow,  op.  cit.,  p.  227:  'This  prince  was  endued  with 
passing  beauty  and  favor,  of  wit  provident  [cf.  'wisdom'],  circum- 
spect, and  gentle  of  nature  [cf.  'magnanimity  and  love'];  of 
excellent  modesty  and  temperance'  [cf.  'meekness  tempering']. 
The  words  'magnanimity'  and  'meek'  occur  in  another  description 
of  Edward  {ibid.,  p.  269  [276]) :  he  was  'devout  in  God's  service, 
for  he  had  the  Church  and  Ministers  thereof  in  great  reverence.' 

13-14     The  reference  is  to  the  amity  between  Church  and  State. 

13  John  1.29;    Isaiah  11.6.     The  lion  is  the  national  emblem. 

14  The  eagle  as  the  symbol  of  the  regal  power  recalls  Virgil 
(JEfieid  6.779)  and  Dante  {Paradiso  6.1-111).  For  'dove'  and 
'eagle'  cf.  Virgil  {Ec.  9.11-13).  The  'dove'  may  be  referred  to 
Matthew  3. 16-17. 

2.8 

i~5  Dyer,  after  a  discussion  of  scholastic  learning,  Hist.  Camb. 
1. 146:  'Dr.  Cave  in  his  Historia  Literaria  gives  to  each  age  a 
discriminating  title.  This  he  might  have  called  the  dreaming 
age.  Dreams  may  be  often  delectable,  and  present  shadows  of 
realities;  but  he  who  would  behold  substance  should  approach  it 
with  open  eyes;  he  who  would  perceive  truth  must  investigate  it, 
but  with  faculties  wide  awake.' 

5-6  Fuller,  Holy  War,  pp.  262-3:  'Of  the  numberless  Christians 
which  lost  their  lives  in  this  service.  .  .  .  But  enough  of  this 
doleful  subject.  If  young  physicians  with  the  first  fee  for  their 
practice  are  to  purchase  a  new  churchyard,  Pope  Urban  the 
second  might  well  have  bought  some  ground  for  graves  when  he 
first  persuaded  this  bloody  project;  whereby  he  made  all  Jerusalem 
Golgotha,  a  place  for  skulls;  and  all  the  Holy  Land,  Aceldama,  a 
field  of  blood.' 

6-8     Cf.  Prelude  2.1 17  and  White  Doe  126-35. 

9-14     Wordsworth,  Prose  Works  2.150: 

'Farwel  my  Frendys,  the  tyd  abidyth  no  man, 
I  am  departed  hens,  and  so  sal  ye, 
But  in  this  passage  the  best  song  I  can 
Is  Requiem  Eternam,  now  Jesu  grant  it  me. 
When  I  have  ended  all  myn  adversity 
Grant  me  in  Paradys  to  have  a  mansion 
That  shedst  Thy  bloud  for  my  redemption. 

This  epitaph  might  seem  to  be  of  the  age  of  Chaucer,  for  it  has  the 
very  tone  and  manner  of  the  Prioress'  Tale.' 

2.9 

1-14     For  the  date  of  this  sonnet,  see  pp.  29-30,  54. 

2-5  WVitten  late  in  life,  this  sonnet  is  notable  for  the  double 
occurrence  of  the  word  'Unity,'  which  can  be  found  once  again  in 
Eccl.  Son.  (3.15.7),  and  only  four  times  more  throughout  the  poems. 


254  THE    ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

6  'Works  of  Art'  as  the  result  of  'Unity'  indicate  the  funda- 
mental truth  of  Wordsworth's  later  years,  a  criterion  toward  which 
his  career  steadily  progressed.     Cf.  Lycoris  37-41 : 

But  something  whispers  to  my  heart 
That  as  we  downward  tend, 
Lycoris!  life  requires  an  art 
To  which  our  souls  must  bend; 
A  skill — to  balance  and  supply. 

9-14  ^  Cf.  EccL  Son.  3.35,  38,  39,  42,  43,  44,  of  which  this  sonnet 
is  reminiscent. 

2.10 

1-14  The  figure  of  which  Wordsworth  had  made  a  political 
application  in  Convention  of  Cintra  {Prose  Works  1.119  and 
1.274)  and  in  Westmoreland  2  {ibid.  2.326)  he  found  by  Heylin 
applied  to  the  Anglican  Church  {Cyp.  Angl.,  p.  499):  'It  hath 
flourished,  and  been  a  shelter  to  other  neighboring  Churches,  when 
storms  have  driven  upon  them;  but  alas!  now  it  is  in  a  storm 
itself  and  God  only  knows  whether,  or  how,  it  shall  get  out;  and 
(which  is  worse  than  the  storm  from  without)  it  is  become  like  an 
oak  cleft  to  shivers  with  wedges  made  out  of  its  own  body,  and  at 
every  cleft  profaneness  and  irreligion  is  entering  in.'  The  verbal 
similarity  of  this  sonnet  to  the  passage  in  Westmoreland  2  is  marked: 
'I  am  conscious  of  the  sad  deterioration,  and  no  one  can  lament  it 
more  deeply;  but  sufficient  vitality  is  left  in  the  stock  of  ancient 
virtue  to  furnish  hope  that,  by  a  careful  manuring,  and  skilful 
application  of  the  knife  to  withered  branches,  fresh  shoots  might 
thrive  in  their  place — were  it  not  for  the  base  artifices  of  malignants, 
who,  pretending  to  invigorate  the  tree,  pour  scalding  water  and 
corrosive  compounds  [cf.  'bane']  among  its  roots;  so  that  the  fibres 
are  killed  in  the  mould  by  which  they  have  been  nourished.' 
Milton  uses  similar  images  in  Reformation  and  Defensio  Prima.  Cf. 
also  the  notes  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.27.  For  the  date  of  this  sonnet,  see 
pp.  29-30,  54. 

2. II 

1-8  Cf.  Journals  2.167  ^oi"  one  of  several  accounts  of  services 
attended  during  the  tour  on  the  Continent,  1820. 

9-14  Fuller,  Holy  War,  p.  140:  'About  the  year  1160,  Peter 
Waldo,  a  merchant  of  Lyons,  rich  in  substance  and  learning  (for  a 
layman),  was  walking  and  talking  with  his  friends,  when  one  of 
them  suddenly  fell  down  dead.  Which  lively  spectacle  of  man's 
mortality  so  impressed  the  soul  of  this  Waldo,  that  instantly  he 
resolved  on  a  strict  reformation  of  his  life,  \^^hich  to  his  power  he 
performed:  translating  some  books  of  the  Bible;  instructing  such 
as  resorted  to  him  in  godliness  of  life;  teaching  withal  that  j')urga- 
tory,  masses,  dedication  of  temj^les,  worshipping  of  saints,  prayers 
for  the  dead,  were  inventions  of  the  devil,  and  snares  of  avarice. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  255 

.  .  .  He  sharply  lanced  the  vicious  ulcers  of  clergymen's  lives,  re- 
proving their  pride  and  luxury.  Soon  got  he  many  followers,  both 
because  novelty  is  a  forcible  lodestone,  and  because  he  plentifully 
relieved  his  poor  disciples:  and  those  that  use  that  trade  shall  never 
want  custom.  The  Archbishop  of  Lyons,  hearing  such  doctrines 
broached  as  were  high  treason  against  the  triple  crown,  ferreted 
Waldo  and  his  sectaries  out  of  Lyons  and  the  country  thereabouts. 
But  persecution  is  the  bellows  of  their  Gospel,  to  blow  every  spark 
into  a  flame.  [Cf.  2.14.4,  I4-]  This  their  division  proved  their 
multiplication.' 

2.12 

1-5  Smith,  Poems  of  W.  W.  2.515:  '"Ages  ere  Waldo,"  etc., 
rests  upon  historical  views  which  have  been  revised  since  Words- 
worth's day.'  The  'fugitive  Progenitors'  of  the  Waldenses  may 
have  been  those  Christians  of  Lyons  whom  Eusebius  mentions  as 
suffering  persecution  while  Eleutherius  was  Bishop  of  Rome  in 
179  {Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Hanmer,  pp.  75-82). 

6-9  Fuller,  Holy  War,  p.  140,  of  the  Waldenses:  'Some  fled 
into  the  Alps,  living  there  on  so  steep  hills,  and  in  so  deep  holes, 
that  their  enemies  were  afraid  to  climb  or  dive  after  them.  Here 
they  had  the  constant  company  of  the  snow;  and  as  it  by  the 
height  of  the  hills  was  protected  from  the  sunbeams,  so  they  from 
the  scorching  of  persecution,  even  to  Luther's  time.' 

10  Wordsworth's  letter  to  Dorothy,  Sept.  6,  1790  {Letters  1.13), 
describes  the  'large  sweeping  woods  of  chestnut'  covering  the 
steeps  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Como. 

11-13     Cf.  Desc.  Sk.  328. 

13-14     Refer  to  the  note  on  lines  6-9  of  this  sonnet. 

2.13 

1-14  Cf.  Poems  Dedicated  to  National  Independence  and  Liberty 
1.12.1-4,11-14;  2.9.1-4;  2. 10. 1-5;  and  Pe^c.  5^.  260-9,  449-60, 
591-600,  652-64. 

8-9  Ven.  Rep. /[:  'Venice,  the  eldest  Child  of  Liberty.'  Walton 
{Lives  1. 148  ff.)  gives  a  spirited  account  of  the  Venetian  breach 
with  Rome  during  the  ambassadorship  of  Henry  Wotton. 

12  'Glorious  lights'  is  in  contrast  to  'greedy  flame'  of  2.1 1.3, 
which  is  thus  brought  into  relation  with  'sacred  fire'  and  'new 
Flame'  of  2.14.9  and  14.  By  the  addition  of  2.12  and  2.13  (1835) 
did  Wordsworth  hope  to  restore  what  he  felt  to  be  a  lapse  of  the 
figure,  no  less  than  to  strengthen  the  claim  of  the  Anglican  Church 
to  be  lineal  descendant  of  the  'pure  Church'? 

2.14 

1-14  For  the  frequent  revisions  of  this  sonnet,  see  pp.  100,  109, 
194. 


256  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

1-2  A  favorite  simile  with  Wordsworth.  Cf.  Westmoreland  Girl 
86,  l7t  Youth  76,  Misc.  Son.  1.3 1.2,  Prelude  14.382-7. 

3-5,  14  Cf.  the  note  on  2. 11. 9-14;  and  see  'ashes'  in  the 
note  below,  Milton  uses  the  figure  of  tapers  and  blaze  in  regard 
to  Wyclifs  preaching  {Reformation). 

6-14  Fuller,  Holy  War,  p.  150,  of  the  persecution  of  the  Wal- 
denses:  '  Dominick  a  Spaniard  was  first  author  hereof.  Well  did 
his  mother,  being  with  child  of  him,  dream  that  she  had  a  dog 
vomiting  fire  in  her  womb.  This  ignivomous  cur  (sire  of  the  litter 
of  mendicant  friars  called  Dominicanes)  did  bark  at  and  deeply 
bite  the  poor  Albigenses.  .  .  .  And  who  can  but  admire  at  the 
continuance  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Albigenses  to  this  day,  maugre 
all  their  enemies?  Let  those  privy-counsellors  of  nature,  who  can 
tell  where  swallows  lie  all  winter,  and  how  at  spring  they  have  a 
resurrection  from  their  seeming  deadness  [cf.  lines  1-2],  let  those, 
I  say,  also  inform  us  in  what  invisible  sanctuaries  this  doctrine  did 
lurk  in  spite  of  persecution,  and  how  it  revived  out  of  its  ashes  at 
the  coming  of  Luther.'  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.14:  'The  list  of 
foul  names  bestowed  upon  those  poor  creatures  is  long  and  curious 
— and,  as  is,  alas!  too  natural,  most  of  the  opprobrious  appellations 
are  drawn  from  circumstances  into  which  the}^  were  forced  by  their 
persecutors,  who  even  consolidated  their  miseries  into  one  reproach- 
ful term,  calling  them  Patarenians,  or  Paturins,  from  pati,  to  suffer. 

Dwellers  with  wolves  she  names  them,  for  the  pine 
And  green  oak  are  their  covert;  as  the  gloom 
Of  night  oft  foils  their  enemy's  design, 
She  calls  them  Riders  on  the  flying  broom; 
Sorcerers,  whose  frame  and  aspect  have  become 
One  and  the  same  through  practices  malign.' 

Cf.  MS.  F,  p.  100.  The  source  is  Fuller's  Holy  War,  p.  141: 
'They  had  also  nick-names;  called,  first,  poor  men  of  Lyons,  not 
because  they  chose  to  be  poor,  but  could  not  choose  but  be  poor, 
being  stripped  out  of  all  their  goods.  And  why  should  the  friars' 
glory  be  this  people's  shame?  they  mocking  at  poverty  in  others, 
which  they  count  meritorious  in  themselves.  Segondly,  Pataren- 
ians, that  is,  Su-fferers,  whose  backs  were  anvils  for  others  to  beat 
on.  Thirdly,  Turlupins,  that  is,  Dwellers  with  wolves  (and  >et 
might  they  be  God's  sheep),  being  forced  to  flee  into  woods. 
Fourthly,  likewise  they  were  called  Sicars,  that  is.  Cut-purses. 
Fifthly,  Fraterculi,  that  is,  Shifters.  Sixthly,  Insabbathae,  that 
is.  Observers  of  no  sabbath.  Seventhly,  Passagenes,  that  is, 
Wanderers — as  also  Arians,  Manichaeans,  Adamites  (how  justly 
will  appear  afterwards).  Yea,  scarce  was  there  an  arrow  in  all  the 
quiver  of  malice  which  was  not  shot  at  them.' 

9-14  Fuller  {ibid.,  p.  139)  recounts  the  three  opinions  con- 
cerning the  Albigenses  or  Waldenses:  (i)  That  they  were  'very 
monsters  in  life  and  doctrine';    (2)  That  they  were  'only  the  true 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  257 

Church  of  God  in  that  age';  (3)  'That  these  Albigenses  were  a 
purer  part  of  the  Church;  and  though  guilty  of  some  errors  (as 
there  must  be  a  dawning  before  the  day  [cf.  lines  3-5]),  and  charged 
with  more,  yet  they  maintained  the  same  doctrine  in  ore,  which 
since  Luther's  time  was  refined.'  Ibid.,  p.  145:  'They  continued 
till  the  days  of  Luther,  when  this  morning-star  willingly  surrendered 
his  place  to  him  a  brighter  sun.' 

12     Cf.   Milton,  P.  L.  4.971:    'Proud  limitarie  Cherube.' 

2.15 

1-9  In  Drayton's  Agincourt  the  speech  of  Chicheley  continues 
for  II  stanzas  (ed,  by  Anderson,  3.1  fT.) ;  Fuller's  account  follows 
{Ch.  Hist.  1.487):  'The  prelates,  and  abbots  especially,  began  now 
to  have  the  active  soul  of  King  Henry  in  suspicion.  .  .  .  Such  a 
meddling  soul  must  be  sent  out  of  harm's  way;  if  that  the  clergy 
found  not  this  king  some  work  abroad,  he  would  make  them  new 
work  at  home.  .  .  .  Hereupon  the  clergy  cunningly  gave  vent  to 
his  activity  by  diverting  it  on  a  long  war  upon  the  French.'  Baker, 
Chronicle,  p.  173:  'And  thereupon  Chicheley,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury,  in  a  long  narration  deduced  the  King's  right.  .  .  . 
This  indeed  struck  upon  the  right  string  of  the  King's  inclination; 
for  as  he  affected  nothing  more  than  true  glory,  so  in  nothing  more 
than  in  warlike  actions.  Hereupon  nothing  was  now  thought  of 
but  the  conquest  of  France.  First,  therefore,  he  begins  to  alter 
in  his  arms  the  bearing  of  Semi-de-Luces,  and  quarters  the  three 
FIower-de-Luces,  as  the  Kings  of  France  then  bare  them.' 

2  Drayton,  Folyolbion,  Upon  the  Frontispiece:  'The  Xorman 
Leopards  bath'd  in  gules.' 

lo-ii  Drayton  describes  the  gathering  of  the  fleet  (Agincourt, 
ed.  by  Anderson,  3.4-6) : 

.  .  .  these 
From  every  small  creek  cover'd  all  the  seas. 

12-14  Fuller  (op.  cit.  2.197)  refers  to  the  'ambition'  of  King 
Henry,  'a  spark  in  himself,  .  .  .  inflamed  ...  by  this  prelate's 
persuasion.' 

14  Baker,  op.  cit.,  p.  174:  'The  wind  blowing  fair.  King  Henry 
weighs  anchor,  and  with  a  fleet  of  1200  sail   ...  he  puts  to  sea.' 

Wordsworth's  personal  associations  with  this  theme  may  be 
inferred  from  the  following  passage  in  his  sister's  Journals  (1.119): 
'We  sowed  the  scarlet  beans  in  the  orchard,  and  read  Henry  V 
there.     William  lay  on  his  back  on  the  seat,  and  wept.' 

2.16 

1-4     Fuller  uses  the  epithet  'shrewd'  of  the  'thrust'  parried  by 
Chicheley;     Wordsworth    has    transferred    the    word    to    describe 
Chicheley's  design.     Cf.  Ch.  Hist.  2.197. 
18 


258  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

4-5     Drayton,  Agtncourt,  ed.  by  Anderson,  34: 

...  an  English  archer  see 
Who  shooting  at  a  French  twelve  score  away, 
Quite  through  the  body  stuck  him  to  a  tree. 

5-6     Ibid.  2>-'^3'    'Gore  .  .   .  blood.' 

5-14  Fuller,  op.  cit.  1.487,  511:  'His  victories  are  loudly 
sounded  forth  l3y  our  state-historians:  a  war  of  more  credit  than 
profit  to  England  in  this  king's  reign,  draining  the  men  and  money 
thereof.  Thus  victorious  bays  bear  only  barren  berries,  no  whit 
good  for  food,  and  very  little  for  physic;  w^hilst  the  peaceable 
olive  drops  down  that  precious  liquor,  "making  the  face  of  man  to 
shine  therewith."  ...  If  we  cast  our  eyes  on  the  civil  estate 
[1447],  we  shall  find  our  foreign  acquisitions  in  France,  which  came 
to  us  on  foot,  running  from  us  on  horseback.  .  .  .  Yet  let  not  the 
French  boast  of  their  valor,  but,  under  God's  providence,  thank 
our  sins,  and  particularly  our  discords,  for  their  so  speedy  recoveries. 
There  were  many  clefts  and  claps  in  our  council-board;^  factions 
betwixt  the  great  lords  present  thereat;  and  these^  differences 
descended  on  their  attendants  and  retainers,  who,  putting  on  their 
coats,  w^ore  the  badges  as  w^ell  of  the  enmities  as  of  the  arms  of 
their  lords  and  masters.'  Ihid.  1.5 14-18:  'Xow^  [i455]  began  the 
broils  to  break  out  betwixt  the  two  Houses  of  Lancaster  and  York. 
.  .  .  Such  who  consider  the  blood  lost  therein  would  admire 
England  had  any  left.  .  .  .  Indeed,  now  the  sound  of  all  bells  in 
the  steeples  was  drowned  with  the  noise  of  drums  and  trumpets; 
and  yet  this  good  w^as  done  by  the  civil  wars — it  diverted  the 
prelates  from  troubling  the  Lollards;  so  that  this  very  storm  was  a 
shelter  to  those  poor  souls,  and  the  heat  of  these  intestine  enmities 
cooled  the  persecution  against  them.' 

2.17 

1-14  Wordsw^orth,  note  on  i.i i :  'I  must,  how^ever,  particularize 
Fuller,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  in  the  sonnet  upon  Wicliffe.'  Fuller, 
Ch.  Hist.  1.493:  'Hitherto  [1428]  the  corpse  of  John  Wickliffe 
had  quietly  slept  in  his  grave,  about  one-and-forty  years  after  his 
death,  till  his  body  w^as  reduced  to  bones,  and  his  bones  almost  to 
dust.  .  .  .  But  now%  such  the  spleen  of  the  council  of  Constance, 
as  they  not  only  cursed  his  memory,  as  dying  an  obstinate  heretic, 
but  ordered  that  his  bones  .  .  .  be  taken  out  of  the  ground,  and 
thrown  far  from  any  Christian  burial.  In  obedience  hereunto  .  .  . 
the  servants  .  .  .  take  what  w^as  left  out  of  the  grave,  and  burnt 
them  to  ashes,  and  cast  them  into  Swift,  a  neighboring  brook 
running  hard  by.  Thus  this  brook  hath  conveyed  his  ashes  into 
Avon,  Avon  into  Severn,  Severn  into  the  narrow  seas,  they  into 
main  ocean.  And  thus  the  ashes  of  Wickliffe  are  the  emblem  of  his 
doctrine,  which  now  is  dispersed  all  the  world  over.'  Cf.  Lamb's 
estimate  of  Fuller's  account   {Works,  ed.  by  Macdonald,  3. 151): 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  259 


e  concluding  period  of  this  most  lively  narrative  I  will  not  call 
)nceit:    it  is  one  of  the  grandest  conceptions  I  ever  met  with.' 


'The 
a  coi 

5  Cf.  the  Greek  6ti(t>ri,  a  divine  or  prophetic  voice  (Iliad  2.41); 
the  'vox'  of  Virgil's  Gcorg.  1.476;  and  U'ordsworth's  conception 
of  'voice'  in  the  Concordance,  pp.  1064-7.  To  Richard  Sharp  (in 
1808;  see  Letters  1.378)  he  mentioned  Two  Voices  are  there  as  the 
best  of  his  sonnets.  Later,  he  was  more  apt  to  refer  'voice'  to  a 
power  above  external  nature,  and  distinguished  from  it. 

2.18 

1-14  W^ordsworth  might  have  procured  the  material  for  this 
sonnet  from  The  Life  of  Cardinal  Wolsey  by  Cavendish,  in  Christo- 
pher Wordsworth's  Ecclesiastical  Biography,  or  from  the  shorter 
account  of  Wolsey's  career  given  in  Stow's  Chronicle;  or  even  from 
the  MSS.  at  Lambeth.  The  reference  to  Wolsey  is  unmistakable. 
Cf.  also  Henry  VIII  3.2.108  ff.  The  ideas  of  the  sonnet  are  like 
those  of  IMilton  (Reformation);  cf.  with  line  4  Milton's  phrase  'the 
pomp  of  prelatism';  and  cf.  with  line  8  his  'vanities  thick  sown 
through  the  volumes  of  Justin  Martyr,  Clemens,  Origen,  Tertullian, 
and  others  of  oldest  time.' 

3-4  Cavendish  (in  Eccl.  Biog.,  ed.  by  Wordsworth,  1.330) 
relates  the  speed  of  Wolsey's  journey  to  France  by  the  aid  of 'post- 
horses,'  and  the  eagerness  with  which,  being  Bishop  of  Lincoln, 
he  prepared  for  his  installation  as  Bishop  of  York  {ibid.  1.342). 
Wolsey  later  became  priest  Cardinal  and  legatus  de  latere  {ibid. 
1.343);  his  preparations  to  receive  the  cardinal's  hat  were  osten- 
tatious {ibid.  1.343-4);  and  to  his  titles.  Archbishop  and  Cardinal, 
he  soon  aspired  to  add  that  of  Chancellor  {ibid.  1.344)-  His 
retinue,  his  public  'down-lying'  and  'up-rising,'  his  processions  to 
W'estminster  and  to  the  Court,  his  hospitality,  are  set  forth  at  length. 
During  his  entertainment  of  the  French  ambassadors  at  Hampton 
Court,  he  'came  in  booted  and  spurred  all  suddenly  among  them, 
and  bade  them  proface'  {ibid.  1.411). 

5-6  There  were  180  persons  'in  his  check-roll'  {ibid.  1.350), 
detailed  in  four  paragraphs  by  the  gentleman-usher,  Cavendish. 
Ibid.  1. 461:  'And  when  Mr.  Russell  was  come  before  him,  he  most 
humbly  reverenced  him,  upon  his  knees,  whom  my  lord  stooped 
unto,  and  took  him  up,  and  bade  him  welcome.' 

6-10  Ibid.  1.542:  '"But  if  I  had  served  God  as  diligently  as 
I  have  done  the  king,  he  would  not  have  given  me  over  in  my 
gray  hairs."' 

10-12  Ibid.  1.449:  'O  wavering  and  newfangled  multitude! 
...  I  cannot  see  but  always  men  in  authority  be  disdained  with 
the  common  sort  of  people;  and  they  most  of  all,  that  do  observe 
and  minister  justice.' 

13-14     Ibid.    1.546:     'Here   is   the   end   and    fall   of   pride   and 


260  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

arrogancy  of  men,  exalted  by  fortune  to  dignities:  for,  I  assure  3'ou, 
in  his  time  he  was  the  haughtiest  man  in  all  his  proceedings  alive; 
having  more  respect  to  the  honor  of  his  person  than  he  had  to  his 
spiritual  profession;  wherein  should  be  showed  all  meekness, 
humility,  and  charity.'  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.25,  of  Wolsey:  'Pride 
accounts  the  greatest  plenty,  if  without  pomp  [cf,  line  4],  no  better 
than  penury.' 

2.19 

1-14  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.159:  'Antipathy  betwixt  Friars  and 
Parish-Priests,  in  Erasmus's  jest-earnest  Dialogue.  Monks,  why 
hating  Friars.'  My  italics  in  the  following  passage  from  Fuller 
{op.  cit.  2.167-8)  indicate  Wordsworth's  indebtedness:  '  The  specious 
pretences  of  piety  and  contempt  of  the  world,  abbots  and  monks,  were 
notoriously  covetous,  even  to  the  injury  of  others.  .  .  .  They 
impoverished  parish-priests  by  decrying  their  performances  and 
magnifying  their  own  merits.  Alas!  what  was  the  single  devotion 
of  a  silly  priest,  in  comparison  of  a  corporation  of  prayers  (twisted 
cables  to  draw  down  blessings  on  their  patrons'  heads)  from  a 
whole  monastery?  And,  suppose  (which  was  seldom  done)  the 
parson  in  the  parish  preaching  to  his  people;  yet  sermons  in  a 
church  once  constituted  were  needless,  as  ministering  matter  of 
schisms  and  disputes,  and,  at  the  best,  only  profiting  the  present; 
whilst  prayers  benefited  as  well  the  absent  as  the  present,  dead  as 
living.  But  especially  prayers  of  monasteries  commanded  heaven 
[cf.  line  11],  pleased  with  the  holy  violence  [cf.  lines  1-4]  of  so  many 
and  mighty  petitioners.  By  these  and  other  artifices  they  tinder- 
mined  all  priests  in  the  affections  of  their  own  .people  [cf.  line  7],  and 
procured  from  pope  and  prince  [cf.  line  13],  that  many  churches 
presentative,  with  their  glebes  and  tithes,  were  appropriated  to  their 
convents,  leaving  hut  a  poor  pittance  to  the  parish-vicar'  [cf.  'rob']. 
Wordsworth  has  translated  Fuller's  ironical  argument  into  an  accu- 
sation. 

2.20 

1-14  Bede  {Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  284)  repeats  the  proph- 
ecy made  by  Adamnan  of  the  destruction  of  Coldringham:  'The 
cells  that  were  built  for  prayer  or  reading  are  now  converted  into 
places  of  feasting,  drinking,  talking,  and  other  delights;  the  very 
virgins  dedicated  to  God,  laying  aside  the  respect  due  to  their 
profession,  whensoever  they  are  at  leisure,  ai)ply  themselves  to 
weaving  fine  garments,  wherewith  to  adorn  themselves  like  brides, 
to  the  danger  of  their  state,  or  to  gain  the  friendship  of  strange 
men.'  The  close  of  this  sonnet  was  taken  'from  a  MS.  written 
about  the  year  1770';  so  with  line  3.  See  Wordsworth's  note 
on  2.21. 

12     Cf.   Milton,  Hymn  on  the  Morning  of  Christ's  Nativity  175. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  261 

2.21 

1-2  nycr,  Ilist.  Camh.  2.62-3:  'The  immoralities  of  monas- 
teries became  the  subject  of  comi)laint  very  early  in  the  13th  and 
14th  centuries;  .  .  .  and  in  the  beginning  of  the  15th,  Henry  IV, 
commissioners  were  appointed  to  visit  and  reform  all  the  monas- 
teries of  the  Cistercian  order  in  England;  so  that,  with  respect  to 
the  dissolution  of  these  houses,  and  the  confiscating  of  their  reve- 
nues, the  Reformation  of  the  i6th  century  did  but  hatch  the  egg; 
for  it  was  laid  long  before.' 

1-4  The  rhyme  'assuage'  .  .  .  'rage'  and  the  phrase  'belfries 
mute'  are  good  evidence  to  refer  these  lines  to  Fuller  {Ch.  Hist. 
2.194-5),  who  speaks  of  'the  proud  motto,  commonly  written  on 
the  bells  in  their  steeples,  wherein  each  bell  entitled  itself  to  a  six- 
fold efficacy: 

1.  Funera  plango,  "Men's  deaths  I  tell 

By  doleful  knell." 

2.  Fulmina  frango,  "Lightning  and  thunder 

I  break  asunder." 

3.  Sabbata  pango,  "On  Sabbath,  all 

To  church  I  call." 

4.  Excito  lentos,  "The  sleepy  head 

I  raise  from  bed." 

5.  Dissipo  ventos,  "The  winds  so  fierce 

I  do  disperse." 

6.  Paco  cruentos,  "Men's  cruel  rage 

I  do  assuage." 

W^hereas,  it  plainly  appears  that  these  abbey-steeples,  though 
quilted  with  bells  almost  cap-a-pie,  were  not  of  proof  against  the 
sword  of  God's  lightning.  Yea,  generally,  when  the  heavens  in 
tempests  did  strike  fire,  the  steeples  of  abbeys  proved  often  their 
tinder,  whose  frequent  burning  portended  their  final  destruction; 
which  now,  God  willing,  we  come  to  relate.' 

4-5  Cf.  Journals  1.206-7  ^ot  an  authentic  picture  of  'choir 
unroofed,'  'warbling  wren,'  and  'leafy  cage.' 

6  Refer  to  my  article,  Wordsworth  and  the  Bramble,  in  Jour. 
Eng.  and  Germ.  Phil.  19.340.     For  'gadding'  cf.  Milton,  Lycidas  40. 

7-8  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.21:  'These  two  lines  are  adapted 
from  a  MS.,  written  about  the  year  1770,  which  accidentally  fell 
into  my  possession.  The  close  of  the  preceding  sonnet  on  monastic 
voluptuousness  is  taken  from  the  same  source,  as  is  the  verse, 
"where  \^enus  sits,"  etc.,  and  the  line.  "Once  ye  were  holy,  ye  are 
holy  still,"  in  a  subsequent  sonnet'  [3.35.13]-     Cf.  Fort  Fuentes  1-8. 

10  At  W'altham  Abbey  Harold  was  interred.  Cf.  Fuller,  Ch. 
Hist.  2.228. 

11-14  Stillingfleet,  Orig.  Brit.,  pp.  9-10,  quoting  MS.  Cott: 
"'That  in  the  Western  parts  of  Britain  there  is  a  royal   Island 


262  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

called  Gleston;  ...  it  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  God.  Here 
the  first  Disciples  of  the  Catholic  Law  found  an  ancient  Church, 
not  built  as  was  reported  by  men's  hands,  but  prepared  by  God 
himself  for  the  benefit  of  men,  and  which  by  miracles  was  showed 
to  be  consecrated  to  himself  and  to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  To  which 
they  adjoined  another  Oratory  made  of  stone,  which  they  dedicated 
to  Christ  and  to  St.  Peter."  The  question  is,  who  are  here  meant 
by  these  first  disciples  of  the  Catholic  Law?  not  Joseph  of  Ari- 
mathea  and  his  companions,  who  are  never  mentioned  by  him,  and 
who  are  never  said  to  have  found  a  church  there  built  to  their 
hands,  but  he  speaks  of  some  of  the  first  Saxon  Christians  in  those 
parts,  who  might  probably  find  there  such  a  low  wattled  church 
as  is  described  in  Sir  H.  Spellman  [Concil.  Brit.  15];  a  remainder 
of  the  British  Christianity  in  that  island.'  Cf.  Drayton,  Polyol- 
hion  3.307--I2.  Turner  {Hist.  A^igl.  Sax.  1.401)  refers  to  the 
rebuilding  of  Glastonbury  by  Ine  at  the  request  of  Aldhelm.  Cf. 
the  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.2.11-12. 

2.22 

1-8  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.210:  'Ten  thousand  persons  were  by 
this  Dissolution  sent  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  the  wide  world. 
Some,  indeed,  had  fathers  or  friends  to  receive  them,  others  none 
at  all.  Some  had  twenty  shillings  given  them  at  their  ejection, 
and  a  new  gown,  which  needed  to  be  of  strong  cloth  to  last  so  long 
till  they  got  another.'     Cf.  Bruges  I  12-14;   Journals  2.180. 

9-10     Cf.  Triad  84-5;    Ossian  5-10;    cf.  also  Milton,  Hymn  on 
the  Morning  of  Christ's  Nativity,  stanza  15. 
11-14     Cf.  Journals  2.52. 

2.23 

1-8  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.214:  'Some  counted  their  convents 
their  prisons,  being  thus  confined.  ...  It  was  a  fine  thing  when 
they  might,  but  sad  case  when  they  must,  live  in  their  monasteries. 
.  .  .  Many  who  had  hopes  of  others'  subsistence  cast  off  the  cowls 
and  vails,  and  quitted  their  convents'  [cf.  Eccl.  Son.  2.22.5]. 

9-14  Ibid.  2.210:  'Most  were  exposed  to  want.  I  see  no  such 
certainty  for  a  comfortable  livelihood  as  a  lawful  calling;  for 
monkish  profession  was  no  possession,  and  many  a  young  nun 
proved  an  old  beggar.  I  pity  not  those  who  had  hands  and  health 
to  work;  but,  surely,  the  gray  hairs  of  some  impotent  persons 
deserved  compassion;  and  I  am  confident  such,  had  they  come  to 
the  doors  of  the  charitable  reader  hereof,  should  have  had  a  meal's 
meat  and  a  night's  lodging  given  unto  them.'  Cf.  Misc.  Son. 
1. 1. 13:  'The  weight  of  too  much  liberty.'  Fuller  returns  to  this 
theme  (op.  cit.  2.255):  'Alas!  many  of  them,  "dig  they  could  not, 
— and  to  beg  they  were  ashamed."' 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  263 

2.24 

1-6  Cf.  Excursion  4.894-918;  cf.  also  Milton,  Hymn  on  the 
Morning  of  Christ's  Nativity,  stanzas  19-24. 

8  Weever  (Funeral  Monuments)  gives  evidence  of  the  numerous 
dedications  to  St.  MichaeL 

8-9  Cf.  Ode  1S14  24.  Cf.  also  the  passage  {Prose  Works  2.153) 
on  the  epitaph  of  Sir  George  Vane. 

9-10  Whitaker,  Hist.  Craven,  p.  371:  'St.  Mary,  St.  Margaret* 
and    St.  Helena  were  the  vvn<f>ai  hvSpot  Xei/xcoviaScs  of  Craven.' 

11-12     Cf.  Dryden,  A  Song  for  St.  Cecilia's  Day,  1687,  stanza  7. 

12-14  Anderson's  British  Poets  i. 525-31  includes  as  Chaucerian 
The  Lamentacion  of  Marie  Magdaleine.  See  the  note  on  2.31. 12 
for  evidence  that  Wordsworth  had  recently  consulted  this  volume; 
Marie's  plaint  may  be  quoted  in  part  (p.  528) : 

Into  wildernesse  I  thinke  best  to  go  .  .  . 
There  for  to  wepin  with  gret  aboundance. 

2.25 

1-14  The  numerous  Cistertian  abbeys  with  which  Wordsworth 
was  familiar  would  suggest  a  sonnet  upon  the  Virgin,  to  whose 
service  this  order  was  devoted.  Cf.  Guilt  149-50,  Meek  Virgin  i, 
Excursion  8.486-90. 

6-7  In  a  note  at  the  beginning  of  On  the  Same  Occasion,  When 
in,  and  in  the  poem  itself,  Wordsworth  amplifies  the  reference  to 
'eastern  skies  at  daybreak':  'Our  churches,  invariably  perhaps, 
stand  east  and  west,  but  why  is  by  few  persons  exactly  known; 
nor,  that  the  degree  of  deviation  from  due  east  often  noticeable 
in  the  ancient  ones  was  determined,  in  each  particular  case,  by  the 
point  in  the  horizon  at  which  the  sun  rose  upon  the  day  of  the 
saint  to  whom  the  church  was  dedicated.  These  observances  of 
our  ancestors,  and  the  causes  of  them,  are  the  subject  of  the  fol- 
lowing stanzas.' 

7-8  These  two  lines  occur  in  MS.  F  (p.  82)  as  part  of  a  dis- 
carded version  of  1.2.  Presumably  they  established  the  rhyme  of 
this  sonnet;  and  the  lines  ending  in  'uncrost,'  'boast,'  and  'tost' 
were  suggested  by  and  subsequent  to  them. 

9  Stow,  Chronicle,  p.  575:  'The  Images  of  our  Lady  of  Wal- 
singham  and  Ipswich  were  brought  up  to  London,  with  all  the 
jewels  that  hung  about  them,  and  divers  other  images  both  in 
England  and  Wales,  whereunto  any  common  pilgrimage  was  used, 
for  avoiding  of  idolatry.' 

2.26 

1-7  Fuller,  whose  Church  History  was  Wordsworth's  main 
source  in  2.15,  2.16,  2.17,  2.19,  2.21,  2.22,  2.23,  seems  to  be  the 


264  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

authority  here.  He  relates  within  some  few  pages  (2.34-42)  the  de- 
bate over  'the  supremacy  of  crafty  Rome,'  noting  the  premunire  of 
1 53 1,  the  consecration  of  Cranmer  as  Archbishop,  the  divorce  and 
remarriage  of  Henry,  Henry's  displeasure  at  Fisher  and  Alore,  the 
imprisonment  of  Fisher  for  refusing  the  Oath  of  Supremacy,  the 
Convocation  of  York.  He  quotes  {ibid.  2.48)  the  words  offensive 
to  Fisher  in  the  preamble  of  the  statute  of  succession:  '"The 
bishop  of  Rome  and  see  apostolic,  contrary  to  the  great  and  in- 
violable grants  of  jurisdiction  by  God  immediately  to  emperors, 
kings,  and  princes,  in  succession  to  their  heirs,  hath  presumed  in 
times  past  to  invest  who  should  please  them  to  inherit  in  other 
men's  kingdoms  and  dominions;  which  thing  we,  your  most 
humble  subjects,  both  spiritual  and  temporal,  do  most  abhor  and 
detest." '  And  he  includes  Protestants  among  those  not  conforming 
{ibid.  2.105):  'After  the  execution  of  the  lord  Cromwell,  the 
parliament  still  sitting,  a  motley  execution  happened  in  Smithfield; 
three  papists  hanged  by  the  statute  for  denying  the  king's  suprem- 
acy, and  as  many  Protestants  burned  at  the  same  time  and  place 
by  virtue  of  the  Six  Articles,  dying  with  more  pain  and  no  less 
patience.' 

8  Ibid.  2.62:  '"I  forgive  thee,"  said  he  [Fisher  to  his  execu- 
tioner], "  with  all  my  heart,  and  I  trust  thou  shalt  see  me  overcome 
this  storm  lustily."'  Ibid.  2.62,:  'These  words  he  spake  with  .  .  . 
such  a  reverend  gravity  that  he  appeared  to  all  men  not  only  void 
of  fear,  but  also  glad  of  death'  [cf.  lines  10-12]. 

9  Wordsworth's  quotsition  is  horn  Romeo  and  Juliet  S-"^ -3 '•  'My 
bosom's  lord  sits  lightly  in  his  throne.'  See  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley 
ed.,  7.56. 

11-12  Notice  the  Aristotelian  terms:  'tragic,'  'pity,'  'fear.' 
12  Fuller,  op.  cit.  2.64:  'Pass  we  from  Fisher  to  More.' 
12-14  Ibid.  2.65:  'Yet  some  have  taxed  him  that  he  wore  a 
feather  in  his  cap,  and  wagged  it  too  often;  meaning,  he  was 
over-free  in  his  fancies  and  conceits;  insomuch  that  on  the  scaffold 
(a  place  not  to  break  jests,  but  to  break  off  all  jesting)  he  could 
not  hold,  but  bestowed  his  scoffs  on  the  executioner  and  standers- 
by.'  The  Life  of  Sir  Thomas  More,  published  by  Christopher 
Wordsworth  in  his  Eccl.  Biog.  (2.53-232),  from  a  MS.  in  the 
Lambeth  library,  was  accessible  to  Wordsworth.  In  it  (2. 11 8)  are 
comments  such  as:  'Sir  Thomas  for  his  wit  and  learning,  even 
when  he  lived,  throughout  all  Christendom  was  almost  miraculously 
accounted  of;  and  (2.132-3)  'As  he  lived,  so  he  died;  always 
possessing  his  soul  in  peace  and  trancjuillity.  .  .  .  Going  to  the 
scaffold  to  lose  his  head,  the  ascending  of  the  stairs  not  being  eas>", 
"  Help  me  up  with  one  of  your  hands,"  said  he  to  one  of  the  officers, 
"for  as  for  my  coming  down,  let  mc  shift  as  I  may:  for  b>-  then  I 
am  sure  I  shall  take  no  great  harm."  His  head  being  laid  on  the 
block,  the  executioner  asked   him   pardon,  as  the  custom  is.     "I 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  265 

forgive  thee  with  all  my  heart"  (quoth  he).  "Marry,  my  neck  is 
so  short,  I  fear  me  thou  shalt  have  little  honesty  by  thy  workman- 
ship.    See  therefore  that  thou  acquit  thyself  well.'" 


1-14  Contrast  this  sonnet  with  Milton's  Ilyvm  on  the  Morning 
of  Christ's  Nativity,  stanzas  20-5,  and  with  the  'joyful  annuncia- 
tion' of  Ode  181 5,  especially  lines  25-6: 

The  Arabian  desert  shapes  a  willing  road 
Across  her  burning  breast. 

Cf.  Wordsworth's  use  of  the  figure  of  reverberation  in  Eccl.  Son. 
1.33,  White  Doe  670-87,  and  To  Joanna  51-65.  Refer  to  Cooper, 
On  Wordsworth' s  Joanna,  in  Academy  1969. 108-10.  The  use  of 
Tiber,  Ganges,  and  the  Nile  to  represent  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa  is 
appropriate  to  the  'holy  river.'  The  obligation  to  Armstrong's  Art 
of  Preserving  Health,  and  to  Dyer's  The  Ruins  of  Rome,  is  an  im- 
portant one.  Cf.  the  passages  in  Poems  and  Extracts,  ed.  by  Little- 
dale,  pp.  54-5,  69-71,  as  follows: 
I      Dyer: 

Yon  hoary  monk  laments  the  same. 

3  Ihid.: 

How  musical,  when  all-composing  Time, 

Here  sits  upon  his  throne  of  ruins  hoar 

While  winds  and  tempests  sweep  his  various  lyre, 

How  sweet  the  diapason! 

4  Armstrong: 

A  land  of  genii? 

5  Dyer: 

Fallen,  fallen,  a  silent  heap!     Behold  the  pride  of  pomp, 
The  throne  of  nations,  fall'n!  obscured  in  dust; 
Even  yet  majestical. 

6-9     Armstrong: 

Now  come,  ye  Naiads,  to  the  fountains  lead; 
Now  let  me  wander  through  your  eyelid  reign.  .  .  . 
First  springs  the  Nile;  here  bursts  the  sounding  Po 
In  angry  waves;  Euphrates  hence  devolves 
A  mighty  flood  to  water  half  the  East; 
And  there  in  Gothic  solitude  reclined 
The  cheerless  Tanais  pours  his  hoary  urn. 
Dyer: 

Shrouded  Nile, 
Eridanus,  and  Tiber  with  his  twins, 
And  palmy  Euphrates;  who  with  dropping  locks 
Hang  o'er  their  urns,  and  mournfully  among 
The  plaintive-echoing  ruins  pour  their  streams. 

11-14  Stow,  Chronicle,  p.  62:  'Mahomet  .  .  .  was  very  skilful 
in  magic,  and  had  learned  many  deceits  of  the  Egyptians:  for  the 
which  he  was  held  in  admiration  of  the  rude  ignorant  Saracens, 


266  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

and  distracted  Arabians.  .  .  .  This  subtle  IVIahomet  attributed 
great  divinity  to  himself;  and  having  the  falling  sickness,  he 
denied  it,  saying  he  was  only  in  a  trance,  being  ravished  with  the 
vision  of  the  Angel  Gabriel,  who  delivered  him  secret  instructions 
and  new  commandments  from  God.  He  taught  a  white  dove  to 
peck  food  out  of  his  ears,  which  he  made  the  people  believe  was  the 
Holy  Ghost  that  came  to  inspire  him.  By  means  whereof,  and 
other  his  illusions  which  his  cunning  confederates  used  in  his  behalf, 
he  strongly  possessed  the  multitude  with  a  most  holy  and  reverent 
opinion  of  him.  .  .  .  [His]  devilish  and  anti-Christian  doctrine, 
through  the  negligence  and  civil  dissension  of  the  Christian  princes, 
hath  overspread  all  Asia,  Africa,  and  the  best  part  of  Europe,  and 
in  many  places  of  India'  [cf.  lines  9  and  10,  and  the  references  to 
Tiber,  Ganges,  Nile]. 

2.28 
1-3     Cf.  Journals  1.6,  57. 

6-9  Milton,  P.  L.  3.474-5,  487-96,  as  Knight  indicates  (P.  W., 
Eversley  ed.,  7.57) : 

Eremits  and  Friers 
White,  Black  and  Grey,  with  all  thir  trumperie.  .  .  . 
A  violent  cross  wind  from  either  Coast 
Blows  them  transverse  ten  thousand  Leagues  awry 
Into  the  devious  Air;  then  might  ye  see 
Cowles,  Hoods  and  Habits  with  thir  wearers  tost 
And  flutterd  into  Raggs,  then  Reliques,  Beads, 
Indulgences,  Dispenses,  Pardons,  Bulls, 
The  sport  of  Winds:  all  these  upwhirld  aloft 
Fly  o're  the  backside  of  the  World  farr  off 
Into  a  Limho  large  and  broad,  since  calld 
The  Paradise  of  Fools. 

9-14  Daniel,  Works,  ed.  by  Grosart,  5.98-9:  'Such  is  the 
nature  of  Domination,  wheresoever  it  sits,  that,  finding  an  yielding- 
ness  to  endure,  it  never  thinks  it  hath  power  sufficient,  unless  it 
hath  more  than  enough;  for,  if  the  Popes  (the  professed  sovereigns 
of  piety)  upon  the  advantage  of  men's  zeal,  and  belief,  grew  to 
make  their  will  and  their  power  equal  (so  that  to  question  their 
sanctions  was  taught  to  be  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost),  no  marvel 
if  secular  Princes,  whose  consciences  are  untied,  strive  to  break  out 
into  the  wildness  of  their  wills  from  those  bounds  wherein  by  the 
law  of  the  State  they  are  placed.' 

2.29 

i-ii     Fuller,    Ch.   Hist.   2.313,   after  referring   to   the   Liturgy: 

'The  Book  of   books  still  remains;    I  mean  the  Bible  itself 

The  First  Translation  of  the  Bible.  Set  forth  in  the  reign  of  King 
Henry  VIII,  a7ino  1541,  countenanced  with  a  grave  and  pious 
preface   of    Archbishop    Cranmer,  and    authorized    by  the    King's 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  267 

proclamation,  dalcd  May  6th,  seconded  also  with  "Instructions" 
from  the  King;  to  prepare  people  to  receive  benefit  the  better  from 
"so  heavenly  a  treasure,"  it  was  called  "the  Bible  of  the  greater 
volume,"  rather  connncnded  than  commanded  to  people.' 

2  Cf.  M'lton,  Reformation:  'Then  was  the  sacred  Bible  sought 
out  of  the  dusty  corners  where  profane  falsehood  and  neglect  had 
thrown  it.' 

4  Milton  (ibid. )  refers  to  'Our  Chaucer's  Ploughman.' 
12-14  Cf.  Fuller's  accounts  of  the  'Devon  commotion'  and  the 
'Norfolk  rebellion'  {Ch.  Hist.  2.318-26),  and  especially  the  fol- 
lowing: 'The  people  tumultuously  compelled  the  priest  ...  to 
say  mass  and  officiate  in  Latin,  as  best  pleased  with  what  they 
least  understood.'     Cf.  White  Doe  yii-i^: 

To  Durham  first  their  course  they  bear; 
And  in  Saint  Cuthbert's  ancient  seat 
Sang  mass, — and  tore  the  book  of  prayer, — 
And  trod  the  bible  beneath  their  feet. 

Child  {The  English  and  Scottish  Popular  Ballads  3.401-8)  gives  the 
ballad,  The  Rising  in  the  North. 

2.30 

1-14  For  the  form  of  this  sonnet  Wordsworth  was  unmistakably 
indebted  to  Hebrews  1 1 : 

Now  faith  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the 
evidence  of  things  not  seen. 

For  by  it  the  elders  obtained  a  good  report. 

Through  faith  we  understand  that  the  worlds  were 
framed  by  the  word  of  God,  so  that  things  which  are 
seen  were  not  made  of  things  which  do  appear. 

And  cf.  the  phrases  *by  faith'  and  'through  faith'  at  the  beginning 
of  the  following  verses  of  this  chapter:  4,  5,  7,  8,  9,  11,  17,  20,  21, 
22,  23,  24,  27,  28,  29,  30,  31.  For  the  ideas  and  some  of  the  phrases 
he  has  recalled  Milton:  P.  L.  1. 17-18;  Church-gov.,  'the  soul  of  man, 
w^hich  is  his  rational  temple,'  and  'the  love  of  God,  as  a  fire  sent 
from  heaven  to  be  ever  kept  alive  upon  the  altars  of  our  hearts' ;  and 
passages  in  Reformation. 

4-5  Wordsworth,  Convention  of  Cintra,  Prose  Works  1.208:  'In 
following  the  stream  of  these  thoughts,  I  have  not  wandered  from 
my  course:  I  have  drawn  out  to  open  day  the  truth  from  its 
recesses  in  the  minds  of  my  countrymen.'  Cf.  the  frequent  and 
often  symbolical  use  of  'root,'  'rooted,'  'roots,'  in  the  Concordance, 
p.  801. 

6  Abel,  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham.  Isaac,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Moses, 
are  the  patriarchs  to  whom  St.  Paul  and  Wordsworth  refer. 

7-8     The  Ten  Commandments. 

9-14  Hebrews  12.2:  'Looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and  finisher 
of  our  faith  .  .  .' 


268  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

12     For  instance,  PauL 

13-14     Cf.  Hebrews  3.14,  9.12,  9.24. 

2.31 

1-4  Wordsworth  modernized  The  Prioress'  Tale  in  1801  {Jour- 
nals 1.67). 

I  Prioress  61:  'Sweet  is  the  holiness  of  youth.'  This  line  does 
not  occur  in  Chaucer. 

5-14,    and    especially    12     Denham's    verses    on    the    death   of 
Cowley  are  in  Anderson's  Works  of  the  British  Poets  prefixed  to  the 
selections  from  Chaucer  (Title-page  to  Chaucer,  vol.  i): 
Old  Chaucer,  like  the  morning  star, 
To  us  discovers  day  from  far; 
His  light  those  mists  and  clouds  dissolv'd, 
Which  our  dark  nation  long  involv'd; 
But  he  descending  to  the  shades, 
Darkness  again  the  age  invades. 

Cf.  Spenser,  Hymn  of  Heavenly  Love  25.2;  Milton,  P.  L.  5.705 
and  Song  on  May  Morning  i;  Revelation  2.28,  22.16.  Cf.  also  the 
Essay  Supplementary,  1815  (P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  951):  'What  is 
become  of  the  morning-star  of  English  Poetry?'  Still  earlier 
{Reply  to  the  Letter  of  Mathetes,  Prose  Works  1.91) :  '  Happy  moment 
was  it  for  England  when  her  Chaucer,  who  has  been  rightly  called 
the  morning-star  of  her  literature,  appeared  above  the  horizon; 
when  her  Wicliffe,  like  the  sun,  shot  orient  beams  through  the 
night  of  Romish  superstition!'  In  this  same  3'ear  (1909-10)  was 
published  Christopher  Wordsworth's  Eccl.  Biog.,  including  Foxe's 
account  of  Chaucer  and  Gower.  Cf.  this  work  1.308:  *I  marvel 
to  consider  this,  how  that  the  bishops  condemning  and  abolishing 
all  manner  of  English  books  and  treatises  which  might  bring  the 
people  to  any  light  of  knowledge,  did  yet  authorize  the  works  of 
Chaucer  to  remain  still  and  to  be  occupied;  who  (no  doubt)  saw 
in  religion  as  much  almost  as  even  we  do  now,  and  uttereth  in  his 
works  no  less,  and  seemeth  to  be  a  right  \\'iclevian,  or  else  was 
never  any.' 

7-9     Chaucer,  The  Prioress'  Tale  50-7: 

Among  thise  children  was  a  widwes  sone, 

A  litel  clergeon,  seven  year  of  age, 

That  day  by  day  to  scole  was  his  wone, 

And  eek  also,  wher-as  he  saugh  th'image 

Of  Cristes  moder,  hadde  he  in  usage, 

As  him  was  taught,  to  knele  adoim  and  seye 

His  Ave  Marie,  as  he  goth  by  the  weye. 

8  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.357:  'Such  was  the  piety  of  this  young 
prince,  that,  being  about  to  take  down  something  which  was  above 
his  reach,  one  of  his  play-fellows  proffered  him  a  bossed-plated 
Bible  to  stand  upon,  and  heighten  him  to  take  what  he  desired. 
Perceiving  it  a  Bible,  with  holy  indignation  he  refused  it,  and  sharply 
reproved  the  offerer  thereof;   it  being  unfit  he  should  trample  that 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  269 

under  his  feet  which  lie  was  to  treasure  up  in  his  head  and  heart.* 
Ibid.  2.358:  'When  crowned  king,  his  goodness  increased  with  his 
greatness;   constant  in  his  private  devotions.' 

2.  "^2 

1-14  Rurnet,  Hist.  Kef.  2.2.126,  cjuoting  Cardan's  De  Genitura 
Edwardl  Sexti:  *  Dignus  Apollineis  Lachrymis.'  Baker,  Chron- 
icle, p.  311:  'Concerning  his  personage,  it  is  said  he  was  in  body 
beautiful,  of  a  sweet  aspect,  and  specially  in  his  eyes,  which  seemed 
to  have  a  starry  liveliness  and  lustre  in  them.  Concerning  his 
conditions,  in  matter  of -fact,  there  is  not  much  to  be  said;  but  in 
matter  of  disposition  and  inclination  very  much,  even  to  admira- 
tion. .  .  .  For  proof  of  his  merciful  disposition  this  one  example 
may  be  sufficient:  when  one  Joan  Butcher  was  to  be  burned  for 
blasphemy  and  heresy,  all  the  council  could  not  get  him  to  sign 
the  warrant,  till  the  Archbishop  Cranmer,  with  much  importunity, 
persuaded  him;   and  then  he  did  it,  but  not  without  weeping.' 

2.33 
1-2     In  the  year  1553  (Baker,  Chronicle,  p.  311). 

2-3  Burnet,  Hist.  Ref.  2.1.426,  429:  'The  people  were  generally 
running  to  Queen  Mary!  .  .  .  The  tide  grew  everywhere  strong 
for  the  queen.' 

4-5  Ibid.  2. 1. 19,  of  ante- Marian  idolatry:  'It  was  notorious 
that  the  people  everywhere  doated  on  them  [images],  and  gave 
them  divine  honor.  Nor  did  the  clergy,  who  were  generally  too 
guilty  themselves  of  such  abuses,  teach  them  how  to  distinguish 
aright;  and  the  acts  of  worship  that  were  allowed  were  such,  that, 
beside  the  scandal  such  worship  had  in  it,  and  the  danger  of  drawing 
people  into  idolatry,  it  was  in  itself  inexcusable  to  ofTer  up  such 
external  parts  of  religious  adoration  to  gold  or  silver,  wood  or 
stone.'  Then  followed  Ridley's  Lenten  sermon.  Gardiner  was 
ofTended  (ibid.  20),  'hearing  that  on  May-day  the  people  of  Ports- 
mouth had  removed  and  broken  the  images  of  Christ  and  the 
saints.'  Burnet  (ibid.  2.2.97)  quotes  a  paper  written  in  French 
by  Edward  VI,  a  collection  of  scriptural  passages  against  idolatry. 
Cf.  Milton,  Piemont  4;  P.L.  12. 119. 

6-12  Stow  {Chronicle,  pp.  616-17)  gives  an  account  of  Mary's 
coronation:  'At  the  upper  end  of  Grace-street  there  was  another 
pageant  made  by  the 'Florentines  very  high,  on  the  top  whereof 
there  stood  four  pictures,  and  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  most 
highest,  there  stood  an  Angel  all  in  green,  with  a  trumpet  in  his 
hand;  and  when  the  trumpeter  that  stood  secretly  in  the  pageant 
did  sound  his  trump,  the  Angel  did  put  his  trump  to  his  mouth, 
as  though  it  had  been  the  same  that  had  sounded,  to  the  great 
marveling  of  many  ignorant  persons.  .  .  .  The  cross  in  Cheap  new 
washed  and  burnished.  .  .  .  The  twenty-seven  of  August,  the 
service  began  in  Latin  to  be  sung  in  Paul's  Church  in  London  I 


270  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

.  .  .  And  on  the  one  and  twentieth  of  December,  began  throughout 
England  the  Church  service  to  be  done  in  Latin.' 

13-14  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.360:  'Whilst  mutual  animosities  were 
heightened  betwixt  the  opposers  and  assertors  of  the  Liturgy, 
Providence  put  a  period  for  a  time  to  that  controversy  in  England. 
Such  who  formerly  would  not — soon  after  durst  not — use  the 
Common  Prayer;  mass  and  popery  being  set  up  by  Queen  Mary 
in  the  room  thereof.  Thus  when  children  fall  out  and  fight  about 
the  candle,  the  parents,  coming  in  and  taking  it  away,  leave  them 
to  decide  the  differences  in  the  dark.' 

2.34 

I  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.399:  'Of  all  the  Marian  martyrs,  Mr. 
Philpot  was  the  best-born  gentleman;  bishop  Ridley,  the  pro- 
foundest  scholar;  Mr.  Bradford,  the  holiest  and  the  devoutest 
man;  archbishop  Cranmer,  of  the  mildest  and  meekest  temper; 
bishop  Hooper,  of  the  sternest  and  austerest  nature;  Dr.  Taylor 
had  the  merriest  and  pleasantest  wit;  Mr.  Latimer  had  the  plainest 
and  simplest  heart,  etc.  O  the  variety  of  these  several  instruments! 
O  their  joint  harmony  in  a  concert  to  God's  glory!' 

2-3  Foxe  {Acts  and  Mon.  2.1606)  prints  'A  table  describing  the 
burning  of  B.  Ridley  and  father  Latimer  at  Oxford.' 

4-8  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.34:  "*M.  Latimer  suffered  his 
keeper  very  quietly  to  pull  off  his  hose,  and  his  other  array,  which 
to  look  unto  was  very  simple;  and  being  stripped  into  his  shroud, 
he  seemed  as  comely  a  person  to  them  that  were  present,  as  one 
should  lightly  see:  and  whereas  in  his  clothes  he  appeared  a 
withered  and  crooked  silly  (weak)  old  man,  he  now  stood  bolt 
upright,  as  comely  a  father  as  one  might  lightly  behold.  .  .  .  Then 
they  brought  a  faggot,  kindled  M'ith  fire,  and  laid  the  same  down 
at  Dr.  Ridley's  feet.  To  whom  Mr.  Latimer  spake  in  this  manner, 
'Be  of  good  comfort,  master  Ridley,  and  play  the  man:  we  shall 
this  day  light  such  a  candle  by  God's  grace  in  England,  as  I  trust 
shall  never  be  put  out."' — Foxe's  Acts,  &".  Similar  alterations  in 
the  outward  figure  and  deportment  of  persons  brought  to  like  trial 
were  not  uncommon.  See  note  to  the  above  passage  in  Dr.  Words- 
worth's Ecclesiastical  Biography,  for  an  example  in  an  humble 
Welsh  fisherman.'  Cf.  Eccl.  Biog.  3.287:  'It  is  recorded  further- 
more of  the  said  good  father  Rawlines  .  .  .  that  as  he  was  going 
to  his  death  and  standing  at  the  stake,  he  seemed  in  a  manner  to 
be  altered  in  nature.  For  whereas  before  he  was  wont  to  go 
stooping,  or  rather  crooked  through  the  infirmity  of  age,  having  a 
sad  countenance,  and  a  very  feeble  complexion,  and  withal  very 
soft  in  speech  and  gesture;  now  he  went  and  stretched  up  himself 
not  only  bolt  upright,  but  also  bare  withal  a  most  comfortable 
countenance,  not  without  great  courage  and  audacity  both  in 
speech  and  behavior.     Foxe's  Acts,  p.  1416.' 

11-12     I  have  been  unable  to  find  the  source  of  this  quotation. 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  271 

2.35 

i-ii  Koxe,  Acts  and  Mon.  2.1714:  'Then  was  an  iron  chain 
tied  about  Crannier,  whom  when  they  perceived  to  be  more  stead- 
fast than  that  he  could  be  moved  from  his  sentence,  they  com- 
manded the  fire  to  be  set  unto  him.  And  when  the  wood  was 
kindled,  and  the  fire  began  to  burn  near  him,  stretching  out  his 
arm,  he  put  his  right  hand  into  the  flame,  which  he  held  so  stead- 
fast and  immovable  (saving  that  once  with  the  same  hand  he  wiped 
his  face)  that  all  men  might  see  his  hand  burned  before  his  body 
was  touched.  His  body  did  so  abide  the  burning  of  the  flame 
with  such  constancy  and  steadfastness,  that  standing  always  in 
one  place  without  moving  his  body,  he  seemed  to  move  no  more 
than  the  stake  to  which  he  was  bound:  his  eyes  were  lifted  up  into 
heaven,  and  oftentimes  he  repeated  his  "unworthy  right  hand,"  so 
long  as  his  voice  would  suff^er  him:  and  using  often  the  words  of 
Stephen,  "Lord  Jesus  receive  my  spirit,"  in  the  greatness  of  the 
flame  he  gave  up  the  ghost.' 

I  Burnet,  Hist.  Ref.  2.1.605:  'All  the  way  the  priests  up- 
braided him  for  changing.' 

4  Foxe,  op.  cit.  2. 1 7 14:  'Such  a  countenance  of  gravity  moved 
the  hearts  both  of  his  friends  and  of  his  enemies.' 

6-7  Ibid.:  'His  feet  were  bare.  Likewise  his  head,  when  both 
his  caps  were  off^,  was  so  bare  one  hair  could  not  be  seen  upon  it.' 

8  Ibid.:    'His  shirt  was  made  long  down  to  his  feet.' 

9  Ibid.:  'This  fortitude  of  mind,  which  perchance  is  rare  and 
not  found  among  the  Spaniards,  when  friar  John  saw,  thinking  it 
came  not  of  fortitude,  but  of  desperation  .   .  .' 

12-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.35:  'For*  the  belief  in  this  fact, 
see  the  contemporary  historians.'  Cf.  Baker,  Chronicle,  p.  321: 
'Only  (which  was  no  small  miracle)  his  heart  remained  whole  and 
not  once  touched  with  the  fire.'  This  legend  and  the  note  first 
appeared  in  the  series  in  1827. 

2.36 

1-3  Fuller,  Cli.  Hist.  2.402-3:  'The  heraldry  of  heaven  knows 
how  to  marshal  them,  in  the  place  of  dignity  due  unto  them.  .  .  . 
But,  though  the  Protestants  showed  much  mercy  to  the  Papists, 
their  persecutors,  yet  the  God  of  the  Protestants  manifested  much 
justice  in  their  woful  and  wretched  deaths.  .  .  .  However,  when 
a  remarkable  death  suddenly  follows  a  notorious,  wicked  life,  even 
such  passengers  as  are  posting  in  the  speed  of  their  private  affairs 
are  bound  to  make  a  stand,  and  solemnly  to  observe  the  justice  of 
God's  proceedings  therein.' 

4-9  Ibid.  2.404:  '"Rejoice,  O  ye  nations,  with  his  people:  for 
he  will  avenge  the  blood  of  his  servants,  and  will  render  vengeance 
to  his  adversaries,  and  will  be  merciful  unto  his  land,  and  to  his 


272  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

people."  Deut.  xxxii.43.'  Such  'showers  of  blood  seem  rather  to 
incite  than  to  allay'  the  spirit  of  Fuller,  for  he  goes  on  to  take  issue 
with  the  Jesuit,  Parsons,  in  a  'cloud  ...  of  polemic  dust.' 

9-1 1  Ihid.  2.381,  446-7,  463:  'The  issueless  Issue  of  a  Dispu- 
tation at  Oxford.  .  .  .  The  Disputations  betwixt  the  Papists  and 
Protestants  at  Westminster.  .  .  .  Whereof  more  noise  than  fruit, 
and  wherein  more  passion  than  reason,  cavils  than  arguments.  .  .  . 
The  assembly  dissolved,  it  were  hard  to  say  which  were  louder — 
the  Papists  in  complaining,  or  the  Protestants  in  triumphing.  .  .  . 
Bale  rails  not  more  on  Papists,  than  Pits  ...  on  Protestant 
writers.' , 

10-12     Cf.  Milton,  P.  L.  2.51-70. 

14      Cf.  Homer,  //iflfi  6.339:    vlK-q  b' kiraixd^tTai  avbpas. 

2.37 

1-14  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  2.407  ff:  'Come  we  now  to  set  down  the 
sad  troubles  of  Frankfort,  rending  these  banished  exiles  asunder 
into  several  factions.  .  .  .  Thus  settled  in  their  church,  their  next 
care  was  to  write  letters  ...  to  all  the  English  congregations  .  .  . 
to  invite  them,  with  all  convenient  speed,  to  come  and  join  with 
them  at  Frankfort.  This  is  the  "communion  of  saints,"  who 
never  account  themselves  peaceably  possessed  of  any  happiness 
until  (if  it  be  in  their  power)  they  have  also  made  their  fellow- 
sufferers  partakers  thereof.  However,  this  their  invitation  found 
not  any  great  entertainment  amongst  the  other  English  church- 
colonies;  all  delaying,  and  some  denying,  to  come;  but  especially 
.  .  .  those  of  Zurich  were  resolved  no  whit  to  recede  from  the 
Liturgy  used  in  England  under  the  reign  of  King  Edward  \T,  and, 
except  those  of  Frankfort  would  give  them  assurance  that,  coming 
thither,  they  should  have  full  and  free  use  thereof,  they  utterly 
refused  any  communion  with  their  congregation.' 

9  'Prurient  speculations,'  the  reading  from  1822  to  1827,  in- 
dicates that  Wordsworth  had  read  Walton's  transcript  of  \\'otton's 
epitaph  {Lives  1.183): 

*"Hic  jacet  hujus  sententiae  primus  author, 

DISPUTANDI    PRURITUS  ECCLESIARUM 

SCABIES 

NOMEN   ALIAS  QUAERE" 

Which  may  be  Englished  thus: 

"Here  lies  the  first  author  of  this  sentence, 

THE    ITCH    OF    DISPUTATION   WILL   PROVE 

THE   SCAB 

OF   THE   CHURCH 

INQUIRE   HIS   NAME   ELSEWHERE'" 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  2  73 

10  Walton  {Honker,  in  Lives  2.75)  speaks  of  tlie  'seeds  of  dis- 
content' sowed  by  Travers  in  the  Temple;  and  (George  Cranmer's 
Letter  to  Llooker,  ibid,  2.1 18)  refers  to  those  who  'must  give  us 
leave  to  think  that  they  have  cast  the  seed  wherewith  these  tares 
are  grown.'      Dyer  {Hist.  Camb.  2.179)  quotes  Cowley: 

And  who  would  change  these  soft,  yet  solid  joys, 
For  empty  shews  and  senseless  noise; 
And  all  which  rank  Ambition  breeds. 
Which  seem  such  beauteous  flowers,  and  are  such  poisonous  weeds? 

11-14  Walton  {op.  cit.  1. 184-5)  discusses  Wotton's  authorship 
of  the  sentence  attributed  to  him  in  his  epitaph:  'Almighty  God 
was  then  pleased  to  make  him  a  prophet,  to  tell  the  Church  militant, 
and  particularly  that  part  of  it  in  this  nation,  where  the  weeds  of 
controversy  grow  to  be  daily  both  more  numerous,  and  more 
destructive  to  humble  piety;  and  where  men  have  consciences 
that  boggle  at  ceremonies,  and  yet  scruple  not  to  speak  and  act 
such  sins  as  the  ancient,  humble  Christians  believed  to  be  a  sin  to 
think;  and  where,  as  our  reverend  Hooker  says,  "former  simplicity 
and  softness  of  spirit  is  not  to  be  found,  because  zeal  hath  drowned 
charity,  and  skill  meekness."  It  will  be  good  to  think  that  these 
sad  changes  have  proved  this  epitaph  to  be  a  useful  caution  unto 
us  of  this  nation;  a.nd  the  sad  effects  thereof  in  Germany  have 
proved  it  to  be  a  mournful  truth.' 

2.38 

1-5  Walton,  Hooker,  in  Lives  2.42-3,  on  the  beginning  oi  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth:  'A  time  in  which  the  many  pretended  titles  to 
the  crown,  the  frequent  treasons,  the  doubts  of  her  successor,  the 
late  civil  war,  and  the  sharp  persecution  that  had  raged  to  the 
eft'usion  of  so  much  blood  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  were  fresh 
in  the  memory  of  all  men;  and  these  begot  fears  in  the  most  pious 
and  wisest  of  this  nation,  lest  the  like  days  should  return  again  to 
them  or  their  present  posterity.  The  apprehension  of  which 
dangers  begot  an  earnest  desire  of  a  settlement  in  the  Church  and 
State.  .  .  .  But  time,  and  peace,  and  plenty,  begot  self-ends;  and 
those  begot  animosities,  envy,  opposition,  and  unthankfulness  for 
those  blessings  for  which  they  lately  thirsted.' 

5-8  Walton,  ibid.  2.44:  'I  shall  forbear  to  mention  the  very 
many  and  dangerous  plots  of  the  Romanists  against  the^  Church 
and  State;  because  what  is  principally  intended  in  this  digression 
is  an  account  of  the  opinions  and  activity  of  the  Nonconformists.' 
In  The  White  Doe  Wordsworth  had  used  the  story  of  one  of  the 
'home-bred  ferments'  (360-79). 

8-1 1  Cf.  Journals  1.102;  and  Reply  to  the  Letter  of  Mathetes, 
Prose  Works  1.86;    and  Spenser,  F.  Q.  1.7.34-8  and  7.6.18.7. 

9     Walton,  op.  cit.   2.59,   of  Whitgift  and  Elizabeth:     'She  ro 
19 


274  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

doubting  ...  his  prudence  equal  to  the  chiefest  of  her  council, 
who  were  then  as  remarkable  for  active  wisdom  as  those  dangerous 
times  did  require,  or  this  nation  did  ever  enjoy.  ...  He  gave  her 
faithful  and  prudent  counsels  in  all  the  extremities  and  dangers  of 
her  temporal  affairs,  which  were  very  many.' 

12-14  These  lines,  revised  in  1845,  indicate  a  severer  judgment 
than  that  of  1822.  Presumably  they  refer  to  the  execution  of 
Mary  Stuart,  and  other  anti-Catholic  measures. 

13  Walton  {op.  cit.  2.23)  speaks  of  'the  cloud  of  persecution 
and  fear  ending  with  the  life  of  Queen  Mary.' 

2.39 

1-8  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.39:  '"On  foot  they  went,  and  took 
Salisbury  in  their  way,  purposely  to  see  the  good  Bishop,  who  made 
Mr.  Hooker  sit  at  his  own  table;  which  Mr.  Hooker  boasted  of 
with  much  joy  and  gratitude  when  he  saw  his  mother  and  friends; 
and  at  the  Bishop's  parting  with  him,  the  Bishop  gave  him  good 
counsel  and  his  benediction,  but  forgot  to  give  him  money;  which 
when  the  Bishop  had  considered,  he  sent  a  servant  in  all  haste  to  call 
Richard  back  to  him,  and  at  Richard's  return,  the  Bishop  said  to  him, 
'  Richard,  I  sent  for  you  back  to  lend  you  a  horse  which  hath  carried 
me  many  a  mile,  and  I  thank  God  with  much  ease,'  and  presently  de- 
livered into  his  hand  a  walking-staff,  with  which  he  professed  he  had 
travelled  through  many  parts  of  Germany;  and  he  said,  'Richard, 
I  do  not  give,  but  lend  you  my  horse;  be  sure  you  be  honest,  and 
bring  my  horse  back  to  me,  at  your  return  this  way  to  Oxford. 
And  I  do  now  give  you  ten  groats  to  bear  your  charges  to  Exeter; 
and  here  is  ten  groats  more,  which  I  charge  you  to  deliver  to  your 
mother,  and  tell  her  I  send  her  a  Bishop's  benediction  with  it,  and 
beg  the  continuance  of  her  prayers  for  me.  And  if  you  bring  my 
horse  back  to  me,  I  will  give  you  ten  groats  more  to  carry  you  on 
foot  to  the  college;  and  so  God  bless  you,  good  Richard."'  See 
Walton's  Life  of  Richard  Hooker.'  Cf.  Walton,  op.  cit.  2.22-3,  for 
an  account  of  'the  learned  John  Jewel.' 

3  Wordsworth's  use  of  'staff'  has  often  been  allegorical:  cf. 
Guilt  4;  Michael  183;  P.  B.  193,  423,  541,  554;  Bord.  1416.  It 
is  the  symbol  both  of  pilgrim  and  pastor.     Cf.  also  Psalm  23.4. 

9-14     Milton,  P.  L.  4.153-65: 

And  of  pure  now  purer  aire 
Meets  his  approach,  and  to  the  heart  inspires 
Vernal  delight  and  joy,  able  to  drive 
All  sadness  but  despair:  now  gentle  gales 
Fanning  thir  odoriferous  wings  dispense 
Native  perfumes,  and  whisper  whence  they  stole 
Those  balmie  spoiles.     As  when  to  them  who  sail 
Beyond  the  Cape  of  Hope,  and  now  are  past 
Mozambic,  off  at  Sea  North-East  windes  blow 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  275 

Sabean  Odours  from  the  spicic  shoare 

Of  Arable  the  blest,  with  such  delay 

W^ell  pleas'd  they  slack  thir  course,  and  many  a  League 

Cheard  with  the  grateful  smell  old  Ocean  smiles. 

Cf.  Bede's  'flagrantia  mirandi  .  .  .  odoris'  (Eccl.  Hist.,  ed,  by 
Pluninier,  1.224);  ^"'^l  ^^i^  ''^'-'  reference  to  the  tomb  of  Earcongota 
{ibid.  1. 1 44). 

2.40 

1-5  Such  men  as  Parker,  Whitgift,  Jewel,  and  Hooker  are 
indicated.  'Eloquent'  may  well  refer  to  Whitgift's  influence  over 
Elizabeth  (Walton,  Hooker,  in  Lives  2.54-8):  'I  beseech  your 
Majesty  to  hear  me  with  patience,  and  to  believe  that  yours  and 
the  Church's  safety  are  dearer  to  me  than  my  life.' 

4  For  the  change  from  *  new-born  Church '  to  *  Church  reformed ' 
see  p.  57. 

4,  II  Walton,  op.  cit.-  2.10,  Sam.  W^oodford's  verses  to  Mr. 
Isaak  Walton  upon  his  writing  and  publishing  the  life  of  the  vener- 
able and  judicious  Mr.  Richard  Hooker: 

Who  mad'st  the  Church  thy  chiefest  care.  .  .  . 

And  decent  worship  kept  the  mean 

Its  two  wide  stretched  extremes  between. 

Cf.  also  ibid.  2.59;  and  Strype,  Life  and  Acts  of  Matthew  Parker , 
Oxford,  1821,  2.487. 

6-10  W^alton  {op.  cit.  2.77-8)  speaks  of  the  request  of  Hooker 
to  be  removed  from  the  country  for  better  progress  with  his  Ecclesi- 
astical Polity:  *  I  have  consulted  the  holy  Scripture,  and  other  laws, 
both  human  and  divine  ...  [to  lay]  a  hopeful  foundation  for  the 
Church's  peace.' 

6-8  Ibid.  2.61,  of  the  scene  bet\veen  James  I  and  the  dying 
Whitgift:  'The  King  assured  him,  "he  had  a  great  affection  for 
him,  and  a  high  value  for  his  prudence  and  virtues,  which  were  so 
useful  for  the  Church  that  he  would  earnestly  beg  his  life  of  God." 
To  which  he  replied,  "Pro  ecclesia  Dei!  Pro  ecclesia  Dei!  "  which 
were  the  last  words  he  ever  spake.' 

10  The  earlier  reading  of  this  line,  'polity  and  discipline,' 
recalled  Hooker's  Ecclesiastical  Polity  and  that  management  of  the 
Church  \vhich  is  frequently  called  'discipline'  in  Cranmer's  Letter 
to  Hooker;  the  substitution  of  'doctrine'  for  'polity and  discipline,' 
and  the  addition  of  'communion'  have  been  discussed  in  relation  to 
the  changes  in  the  text  of  1827  (p.  46).  Cf.  Milton's  discussion  of 
'  discipline '  and  '  doctrine '  in  Church-gov. 

11  Moderation  was  characteristic  of  both  Hooker  and  Whitgift 
(Walton,  op.  cit.  2.100,  51-2).  Cf.  the  ' ^irfiev  ayav'  of  Greece 
and  the  'media  via'  of  Rome.  Cf.  also  Burnet's  passage  on  'the 
very  ill  effects  of  extreme  violent  counselp'  {Hist.  Own  Time  1.90-1). 

13-14  Heylin,  Cyp.  Angl.,  p.  498:  'For  at  this  day  the  blind 
lead  the  blind.'     Cf.  Ecclesiastes  2.14,  and  Jeremiah  11.8. 


276  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

2.41 

1  Cf.  Homer,  Iliad  3. 109-10,  in  the  translation  of  Lang,  Leaf, 
and  Myers,  p.  52:  'But  wheresoever  an  old  man  entereth  in,  he 
looketh  both  before  and  after,  whereby  the  best  issue  shall  come 
for  either  side.' 

2  Heylin,  Motto  of  Cyp.  AngL,  Ecclus.  44.1,  3:  'Let  us  now 
praise  Famous  Men  and  our  Fathers  that  begat  Us.' 

2-8  Walton,  Hooker,  in  Lives  2.44  ff:  'In  which  number  of 
Nonconformists  .  .  .  there  were  many  that  were  possessed  of  a 
high  degree  of  spiritual  wickedness;  I  mean  with  an  innate,  restless, 
radical  pride  and  malice;  ...  a  complacence  in  working  and 
beholding  confusion;  .  .  .  men  whom  a  furious  zeal  and  prejudice 
had  blinded,  and  made  incapable  of  hearing  reason,  or  adhering  to 
the  ways  of  peace;  men  whom  pride  and  self-conceit  had  made  to 
over- value  their  own  wisdom,  and  become  pertinacious,  and  to  hold 
foolish  and  unmannerly  disputes  against  those  men  which  they 
ought  to  reverence,  and  those  laws  which  they  ought  to  obey;  men 
that  labored  and  joyed  to  speak  ill  of  government,  and  then  to  be 
the  authors  of  confusion.  .  .  .  And  in  these  times,  which  tended 
thus  to  confusion,  there  were  also  many  others  that  pretended  to 
tenderness  of  conscience,  refusing  to  submit  to  ceremonies,  or  to 
take  an  oath  before  a  lawful  magistrate.  .  .  .  The  common  people 
became  so  fanatic,  as  St.  Peter  observes  there  were  in  his  time 
"some  that  wrested  the  Scripture  to  their  own  destruction."  So 
by  these  men,  and  this  means,  many  came  to  believe  the  Bishops 
to  be  Anti-christ,  and  the  only  obstructors  of  God's  discipline;  and 
many  of  them  were  at  last  given  over  to  such  desperate  delusions 
as  to  find  out  a  text  in  the  Revelation  of  St.  John,  that  "Anti-christ 
was  to  be  overcome  by  the  sword,"  which  they  were  very  ready  to 
take  into  their  hands.  .  .  .  And  at  last  .  .  .  they  durst  threaten 
first  the  Bishops,  and  not  long  after  both  the  Queen  and  Parliament' 
[cf.  line  13].     Cf.  Westmoreland  2,  Prose  Works  2.318. 

5  Walton,  Cranmer's  Letter  to  Hooker,  in  Lives  2.1 14-15: 
'Certain  prophets  did  arise,  who  deeming  it  not  possible  that  God 
should  suffer  that  undone  which  they  did  so  fiercely  desire  to  have 
done,  namely  that  his  holy  saints,  the  favorers  and  fathers  of  the 
discipline,  should  be  enlarged  and  delivered  from  persecution,  .  .  . 
forthwith  must  needs  be  the  instruments  of  this  great  work:  .  .  . 
"Such  and  such  are  men  unworthy  to  govern,  pluck  them  down: 
such  and  such  are  the  dear  children  of  God,  let  them  be  advanced." ' 

9  Heylin,  Cyp.  AngL,  p.  499:  'For  the  Pope  ne\cr  had  such  an 
harvest  in  England  since  the  Reformation,  as  he  hath  now  upon 
the  sects  and  divisions  that  are  now  among  us.'  Walton,  op.  cit. 
2. 121:  'The  last  which  have  received  strength  and  encouragement 
from  the  reformers  are  Papists.' 

II  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.41:  'A  common  device  in  religious 
and   political   conflicts. — Sec  Strype  in   support  of   this  instance.' 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  277 

Strype,  Life  and  Acts  of  Mattheiu  Parker  1.459:  '  In  this  year  [1566] 
came  one  of  tliese  dissentinjr  preachers  (in  appearance,  but  in  truth 
a  Dominican  Friar)  to  Maidstone.  .  .  .  Divers  others  resorted 
hither,  inquiring  for  this  man,  whose  name  was  Faithful  Cummin. 
.  .  .  Being  thus  met,  .  .  .  Cummin  exercised  extemporary  prayer 
for  about  two  hours,  groaning  and  weeping  much.'  He  was 
questioned  by  Archbishop  Parker;   then  he  departed  'beyond  sea.' 

2.42 

1-4  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  3.213:  'By  transferring  the  fact  on  the 
then  most  innocent  Puritans,  they  hoped  not  only  to  decline  the 
odium  of  so  hellish  a  design,  but  also,  by  the  strangeness  of  the 
act  and  unsuspectedness  of  the  actors,  to  amuse  all  men,  and  beget 
an  universal  mistrust,  that  every  man  would  grow  jealous  of 
himself.' 

7,  10  Ibid.:  'They  fall  a-working  in  the  vault.  Dark  the  place, 
in  the  depth  of  the  earth;  dark  the  time,  in  the  dead  of  night; 
dark  the  design,  all  the  actors  therein  concealed  by  oath  from 
others,  and  thereby  combined  amongst  themselves.' 

12-14  St.  Bartholomew's  was  a  stock  comparison  (cf.  Burnet, 
Hist.  Oivn  Time  1.336). 

2.43 

I     Wordsworth,  note  on  2.43:   The  'Jung-Frau.' 

1-14  Cf.  Journals  2.201,  205;  cf.  sXso  D esc.  Seen.  Lakes,  Prose 
Works  2.90.  Knight  (P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.70)  prints  extracts 
from  the  journal  of  Mrs.  Wordsworth.  Wordsworth  had  seen  the 
falls  near  Schaffhausen  during  his  first  Continental  tour  {Letters 
1. 1 5).  When  Eccl.  Son.  2.43  was  printed  with  Mem.  Tour  Cont. 
1820,  the  following  note  accompanied  it  on  p.  14:  'This  sonnet 
belongs  to  another  publication,  but  from  its  fitness  for  this  place 
is  inserted  here  also.  "Voila  un  enfer  d'eau,"  cried  out  a  German 
friend  of  Ramond,  falling  on  his  knees  on  the  scaffold  in  front  of 
this  waterfall.     See  Ramond's  translation  of  Coxe.' 

2.44 

1-14  Dyer,  Hist.  Camb.  i.i  14-15:  'History  possesses  its  quiet 
description  of  facts,  its  distinct  periods,  its  regular  round  of  story. 
These  we  look  for,  of  course;  we  like  information,  and  are  pleased 
to  hear  of  things  as  they  are.  But  what  gives  interest  to  history 
is  that  which  sometimes  disturbs  our  repose:  the  bold  projecting 
points,  which  fix  the  attention,  and  command  our  admiration;  its 
divisions,  dissensions,  revolutions,  and  wars:  as  in  the  natural 
world  we  may  expect  what  is  orderly;  are  pleased  with  the  gliding 
stream,  with  the  spacious  meadow,  with  gardens  that  are  decorated 
with  flowers,  and  fields  standing  thick  with  corn.  But  then  there's 
the  burst  of  elements! — we  gaze  with  wonder  at  the  storm;    and 


278  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

are  carried  out  of  ourselves  by  the  earthquake  and  volcano,  which 
bears  away  all  around  it.'  Cf.  Milton,  Eikonoclastes  4:  'Finally, 
instead  of  praying  for  his  people  as  a  good  king  should  do,  he 
[Charles  I]  prays  to  be  delivered  from  them,  as  "  from  wild  beasts, 
inundations,  and  raging  seas,  that  had  overborne  all  loyalty,  mod- 
esty, laws,  justice,  and  religion."  '  Cf.  also  Dryden,  Astrcea  Redux 
22:    '  Madness  the  pulpit,  faction  seiz'd  the  throne.' 

12     Cf.  Reply  to  Mathetes,  Prose  Works  1.86-7. 

245 

1-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  2.45,  added  in  1827:  *In  this  age  a 
word  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  Laud,  or  even  in  compassion  for 
his  fate,  without  incurring  a  charge  of  bigotry;  but  fearless  of  such 
imputation,  I  concur  with  Hume,  "that  it  is  sufficient  for  his  vindi- 
cation to  observe  that  his  errors  were  the  most  excusable  of  all 
those  which  prevailed  during  that  zealous  period."  A  key  to  the 
right  understanding  of  those  parts  of  his  conduct  that  brought  the 
most  odium  upon  him  in  his  own  time  may  be  found  in  the  following 
passage  of  his  speech  before  the  bar  of  the  House  of  Peers:  "Ever 
since  I  came  in  place,  I  have  labored  nothing  more  than  the  external 
public  worship  of  God,  so  much  slighted  in  divers  parts  of  this 
kingdom,  might  be  preserved,  and  that  with  as  much  decency  and 
uniformity  as  might  be.  For  I  evidently  saw  that  the  public 
neglect  of  God's  service  in  the  outward  face  of  it,  and  the  nasty 
lying  of  many  places  dedicated  to  that  service,  had  almost  cast  a 
damp  upon  the  true  and  inward  worship  of  God,  which  while  we  live 
in  the  body,  needs  external  helps,  and  all  little  enough  to  keep  it  in 
any  vigor.'  Fenwick  note:  'Before  I  conclude  my  notice  of  these 
sonnets,  let  me  observe  that  the  opinion  I  pronounced  in  favor  of 
Laud  (long  before  the  Oxford  Tract  Movement),  and  which  had 
brought  censure  upon  me  from  several  quarters,  is  not  in  the  least 
changed.  Omitting  here  to  examine  into  his  conduct  in  respect  to 
the  persecuting  spirit  with  which  he  has  been  charged,  I  am  per- 
suaded that  most  of  his  aims  to  restore  ritual  practices  which  had 
been  abandoned  were  good  and  wise,  whatever  errors  he  might 
commit  in  the  manner  he  sometimes  attempted  to  enforce  them. 
I  further  believe  that,  had  not  he  and  others  who  shared  his  opinions 
and  felt  as  he  did,  stood  up  in  opposition  to  the  reformers  of  that 
period,  it  is  questionable  whether  the  Church  would  ever  have 
recovered  its  lost  ground  and  become  the  blessing  it  now  is,  and 
will,  I  trust,  become  in  a  still  greater  degree,  both  to  those  of  its 
communion  and  to  those  who  unfortunately  are  separated  from  it.' 
■  I  Heylin,  Cyp.  Angl.,  p.  423:  'But  worse  presages  than  all 
these,  were  the  breaking  out  of  divers  plots  and  ]:»racticcs  against 
him  by  the  opposite  factions;  not  only  the  Puritans  but  the  Papists 
conspiring  against  him,  and  both  resolved  to  bring  him  to  his  fatal 
end  by  some  means  or  other.* 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWURTH  279 

3  Ibid.,  p.  496:  'So  well  was  he  studied  in  the  art  of  dying 
(especially  in  the  last  and  strictest  part  of  his  imprisonment)  that 
by  continual  fastings,  watchings,  prayers,  and  such  like  acts  of 
Christian  humiliation,  his  flesh  was  rarefied  into  spirit,  and  the 
whole  man  so  fitted  for  eternal  glories,  that  he  was  more  than  half 
in  Heaven,  before  Death  brought  his  bloody  (but  triumphant) 
chariot  [cf.  lines  9-10],  to  convey  him  thither.  He  that  had  so 
long  been  a  Confessor,  could  not  but  think  it  a  release  of  miseries 
to  be  made  a  martyr.' 

9  Cf.  Judges  5.28. 

10  Heylin,  op.  cit.,  p.  497:  'I  am  going  apace  (as  you  see) 
towards  the  Red  Sea.' 

2.46 

I  One  of  two  references  to  the  harp  in  Eccl.  So7i.  This  is  an 
apostrophe,  and  recalls  two  similar  verses  in  The  White  Doe  (324, 
330). 

2-4  Exodus  15-20,  particularly  the  passages  where  the  Com- 
mandments are  interpreted  by  Moses  to  the  children  of  Israel. 

3-6     Milton,  P.  L.  1. 10-12: 

Or  if  Stan  Hill 
Delight  thee  more,  and  Siloa's  Brook  that  flow'd 
Fast  by  the  Oracle  of  God. 

4  Milton  {D e f en sio  Prima)  quotes  Psalm  51.6,  which  Salmasius 
urges  in  behalf  of  Charles  I;  and  {Eiko7ioclastes  9,23)  he  scornfully 
refers  to  the  use  of  David's  Psalms  by  the  author  of  Eikon  Basilike. 
Cf.  also  Dryden's  mention  of  David's  harp  in  Absalom  and  Achitophel. 

6    Cf.  Alilton,  P.  L.  4.538. 

9-14  These  lines  may  be  semi-ironical;  Wordsworth's  use  of 
'but,'  line  12,  indicates  a  turn  from  the  idea  of  a  'stern  God' 
despising  'King  and  Priest.'  Two  passages  in  Burnet's  Hist.  Oicfi 
Time  bear  out  such  an  interpretation  (1.72,  84):  'The  preachers 
thundered  in  their  pulpits  against  all  that  did  the  work  of  the  Lord 
deceitfully,  and  cried  out  against  all  that  were  for  moderate  pro- 
ceedings, as  guilty  of  the  blood  that  had  been  shed.  Thine  eye 
shall  not  pity,  and  thou  shall  not  spare,  were  often  inculcated.  .  .  . 
I  had  much  discourse  with  one  who  knew  Cromwell  well,  and  all 
that  set  of  men;  and  asked  him  how  they  could  excuse  all  the 
prevarications  and  other  ill  things  of  which  they  were  visibly  guilty 
in  the  conduct  of  their  affairs.  He  told  me  they  believed  there 
were  great  occasions  in  which  some  men  were  called  to  great 
services,  in  the  doing  of  which  they  were  excused  from  the  common 
rules  of  morality:  such  were  the  practices  of  Ehud  and  Jael,  Samson 
and  David:  and  by  this  they  fancied  they  had  a  privilege  from 
observing  the  standing  rules.  It  is  obvious  how  far  this  principle 
may  be  carried,  and  how  all  justice,  and  mercy  may  be  laid  aside 
on  this  pretence  by  every  bold  enthusiast.' 


280  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

Milton  ends  his  Eikonoclastes  28  with  the  praise  of  justice.  He 
says  of  Charles  I  {ibid.  3):  'He  appealed  to  God's  tribunal,  and 
behold!  God  hath  judged  and  done  to  him  in  the  sight  of  all  men 
according  to  the  verdict  of  his  own  mouth:  to  be  a  warning  to  all 
kings  hereafter  how  they  use  presumptuously  the  words  and  pro- 
testations of  David,  without  the  spirit  and  conscience  of  David. 
.  .  .  But  God  and  his  judgments  have  not  been  mocked.'  Here 
Wordsworth  might  have  laid  upon  Milton  the  warning  that  the 
latter  gave  to  Charles  or  the  author  of  Eikon  Basilike  {Eikonoclastes 
8):  *  Most  men  are  too  apt  ...  to  interpret  and  expound  the  judg- 
ments of  God,  and  all  other  events  of  Providence  or  chance,  as 
makes  most  to  the  justifying  of  their  own  cause.' 

13-14     Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.73:   'See  Psalm  36.5,6.' 

3.1 

1-14  Fenwick  note.  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.73:  'When 
I  came  to  this  part  of  the  series,  I  had  the  dream  described  in  this 
sonnet.  The  figure  was  that  of  my  daughter,  and  the  whole 
passed  exactly  as  here  represented.  The  sonnet  was  composed  on 
the  middle  road  leading  from  Grasmere  to  Ambleside:  it  was  begun 
as  I  left  the  last  house  of  the  vale,  and  finished,  word  for  word  as 
it  now  stands,  before  I  came  in  view  of  Rydal.  I  wish  I  could  say 
the  same  of  the  five  or  six  hundred  I  have  written:  most  of  them 
were  frequently  retouched  in  the  course  of  composition,  and  not  a 
few,  laboriously.'  Cf.  White  Doe  442-5;  Highland  Girl  11-19; 
Eg.  Maid  301-6.  Walton  recounts  experiences  of  this  sort  for 
their  premonitory  value;  Wordsworth  would  notice  the  dream  of 
Donne  about  his  wife,  and  that  of  Nicholas  Wotton. 

3-2 

4-14  Cf.  the  passage  in  Milton's  Church-gov.  2:  '.  .  .  or  should 
she  [the  Church]  by  blessing  from  above  on  the  industry  and  courage 
of  faithful  men,  change  this  her  distracted  estate  into  better  days'; 
and  his  exhortation  to  the  rulers  and  people  of  England  in  the 
Defensio  Secunda.     Cf.  White  Doe  1 261-6: 

Might  this  our  enterprise  have  sped. 

Change  wide  and  deep  the  Land  had  seen, 

A  renovation  from  the  dead, 

A  spring-tide  of  immortal  green: 

The  darksome  altars  would  have  blazed 

Like  stars  when  clouds  are  rolled  away. 

3-3 

1-14  Burnet,  Hist.  Own  Time  1.168:  'With  the  restoration  of 
the  King,  a  spirit  of  extravagant  joy  spread  over  the  nation,  that 
brought  on  with  it  the  throwing  off  the  very  professions  of  virtue 
and  piety;    all  ended  in  entertainments  and  drunkenness,  which 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  281 

overran  the  three  kingdoms  to  such  a  degree  that  it  very  much 
corrupted  all  their  morals.  Under  the  color  of  drinking  the  King's 
health,  there  were  great  disorders  and  much  riot  everywhere;  and 
the  pretences  of  religion,  both  in  those  of  the  hypocritical  sort,  and 
of  the  more  honest  but  no  less  pernicious  enthusiasts,  gave  great 
advantages,  as  well  as  the>'  furnished  much  matter,  to  the  profane 
mockers  of  true  piety.' 

1-2  Clarendon,  Ilisl.  of  the  Rebellion  6.264:  'On  Monday  he 
went  to  Rochester,  and  the  next  day,  being  the  29th  of  May,  and 
his  birthday,  he  entered  London,  all  the  ways  from  Dover  thither 
being  so  full  of  people  and  exclamations  as  if  the  whole  kingdom 
had  been  gathered.  About  or  above  Greenwich  the  Lord  Mayor 
and  aldermen  met  him,  with  all  those  protestations  of  joy  which 
can  hardly  be  imagined.  And  the  concourse  [was]  so  great  that 
the  King  rode  in  a  crowd  from  the  bridge  to  Temple  Bar.  All  the 
companies  of  the  city  stood  in  order  on  both  sides,  giving  loud 
thanks  [to  God]  for  his  majesty's  presence.  And  he  no  sooner  came 
to  Whitehall  but  the  two  houses  of  Parliament  solemnly  cast 
themselves  at  his  feet,  with  all  the  vows  of  affection  and  fidelity  to 
the  world's  end.  In  a  word,  the  joy  was  so  unexpressible  and  so 
universal,  that  His  Majesty  said  smilingly  to  some  about  him, 
that  he  doubted  it  had  been  his  own  fault  that  he  had  been  absent 
so  long,  for  he  saw  nobody  that  did  not  protest  he  had  ever  wished 
for  his  return.' 

3-7  Dryden,  Astrcea  Redux  87,  97:  'Inur'd  to  suffer  ere  he 
came  to  reign,'  and  *In  such  adversities  to  sceptres  trained.'  Cf. 
also  Gray,  Hymn  to  Adversity;  Cowley,  Ode  upon  His  Majesty's 
Restoration  and  Return;  Bacon,  Of  Adversity;  and  especially  ^lilton, 
Eikonoclastes  27:  '[Charles  II  was  unlike  David,  who]  by  suffering 
without  just  cause,  learned  that  meekness  and  that  w^isdom  by  ad- 
versity, which  made  him  much  the  fitter  man  to  reign.'  Cf.  Artegal 
207-8: 

Proof  shalt  thou  furnish  that  misfortune,  pain, 

And  sorrow,  have  confirmed  thy  native  right  to  reign. 

9  Burnet,  op.  cit.  1.170:  'The  ruin  of  his  reign,  and  of  all  his 
affairs,  was  occasioned  chiefly  by  his  delivering  himself  up  at  his 
first  coming  over  to  a  mad  range  of  pleasure.'  Cf.  Milton,  Eikono- 
clastes 13:  '  Circean  cup  of  servitude.' 

lo-ii     Cowley,  op.  cit.:   'Wild  and  deformed  chaos.* 

14     Dryden,  Cowley;    Clarendon,  Burnet. 

34 

1-2  Burnet,  Hist.  Own  Time  1.34 1-2:  'This  set  of  men  at 
Cambridge  studied  to  assert  and  examine  the  principles  of  religion 
and  morality  on  clear  grounds,  and  in  a  philosophical  method.  In 
this  More  led  the  way  to  many  that  came  after  him.     Worthington 


282  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

was  a  man  of  eminent  piety  and  great  humility,  and  practised  a 
most  sublime  way  of  self-denial  and  devotion.  All  these,  and  those 
who  were  formed  under  them,  studied  to  examine  further  into  the  na- 
ture of  things  than  had  been  done  formerly.  They  declared  against 
superstition  on  the  one  hand,  and  enthusiasm  on  the  other.  They 
loved  the  constitution  of  the  Church,  and  the  liturgy,  and  could 
well  live  under  them;  but  they  did  not  think  it  unlawful  to  live 
under  another  form.  They  wished  that  things  might  have  been 
carried  with  more  moderation.  And  they  continued  to  keep  a 
good  correspondence  with  those  who  had  differed  from  them  in 
opinion,  and  allowed  a  great  freedom  both  in  philosophy  and  in 
divinity.  .  .  .  And  upon  this  men  of  narrower  thoughts  and  fiercer 
tempers  fastened  upon  them  the  name  of  Latitudinarians.' 

3-5  /6^'fi.  1.339-40,  of  the  Cambridge  Latitudinarians:  'Whitch- 
cot  was  a  man  of  a  rare  temper,  very  mild  and  obliging.  ...  He 
was  much  for  liberty  of  conscience;  and  being  disgusted  with  the 
dry  systematical  way  of  those  times,  he  studied  to  raise  those  who 
conversed  with  him  to  a  nobler  set  of  thoughts,  and  to  consider 
religion  as  a  seed  of  a  deiform  nature  (to  use  one  of  his  own  phrases). 
In  order  to  this,  he  set  young  students  much  on  reading  the  ancient 
philosophers,  chiefly  Plato,  Tully,  and  Plotin,  and  on  considering 
the  Christian  religion  as  a  doctrine  sent  from  God  both  to  elevate 
and  sweeten  human  nature;  in  which  he  was  a  great  example,  as 
well  as  a  wise  and  kind  instructor.  Cudworth  carried  this  on  with 
a  great  strength  of  genius  and  a  vast  compass  of  learning.  .  .  . 
Wilkins  was  ...  a  great  observer,  and  a  promoter  of  experimental 
philosophy,  which  was  then  a  new  thing,  and  much  looked  after. 
.  .  .  The  most  eminent  of  those  who  were  formed  under  those 
great  men  were  Tillotson,  Stillingfleet,  and  Patrick.' 

4  See  Cooper,  Wordsworth's  Knowledge  of  Plato,  Mod.  Lang. 
Notes  33.497-9. 

5  Cf.  Milton,  Comus  461:  'The  unpolluted  temple  of  the  mind.' 
6-13     Milton  is  indicated.     Cf.  the  description  of  Francis  Norton 

in  The  White  Doe  (753-61). 

13-14  Milton,  P.  L.  3.45-55,  as  Knight  indicates  (P.  W.,  Ever- 
sley  ed.,  7-77)- 

3-5 

I  Walton  {Hooker,  in  Lives  2.83)  repeats  the  words  of  James  I 
about  Hooker:  'Doubtless  there  is  in  every  page  of  Mr.  Hooker's 
book  the  picture  of  a  divine  soul,  such  pictures  of  truth  and  reason, 
and  drawn  in  so  sacred  colors,  that  they  shall  never  fade,  but  give 
an  immortal  memory  to  the  author.'  Bede  {Eccl.  Hist.,  cd.  by 
Plummer,  1.66-7)  quotes  Luke  10.20:  'In  hoc  gaudcte,  quia  nomina 
vestra  scripta  sunt  in  caelo.' 

2-4  Lienemann  (Belesenheit,  p.  16)  refers  these  three  lines  to  H. 
Constable's  Z)za?7a;  To  the  King  of  Scots;  Knight  likewise  (P.   W., 


OF   WILLIAxM    WORDSWORTH  283 

Eversley  ed.,  7.77).  Knight  gives  other  parallels.  Wsihon  {Donne, 
op.cit.  1.63)  compares  Doiine  when  preaching  to  'an  angel  from  a 
cloud,  but  in  none.'  Herders  (Hooker,  ibid.  2A)'/)  io  Hooker's  guard- 
ian angel,  and  continues  (t'tzVi.  2.99) :' [Before  his  death  he  told  Dr. 
Sara  via  that]  he  was  meditating  the  number  and  nature  of  angels, 
and  their  blessed  obedience  and  order,  without  which  peace  could  not 
be  in  heaven;  and  oh!  that  it  might  besoonearth!'  Wordsworth  (Le/- 
ter  to  a  Friend  of  Burns,  Prose  Works  2.263-4)  says  of '  the  venerable 
spirit  of  Isaac  Walton'  that  it  was  qualified  to  accompany,  'as  it 
were  upon  wings,  the  pilgrim  along  the  sorrowful  road  which  he 
trod  on  foot.' 

4-5  Walton  {Wotton,  op.  cit.  1. 192-3)  quotes  Wotton's  words 
to  Mr.  John  Hales:  'Almighty  God  hath,  by  his  grace,  prevented 
me  from  making  shipwreck  of  faith  and  a  good  conscience.'  He 
comments  upon  Donne's  'charity'  {Donne,  ibid.  1.90). 

6  The  statesman,  Wotton;  the  priests,  Donne,  Herbert,  Hooker, 
and  Sanderson;  the  citizen,  Walton. 

7  The  adjectives  'mild  and  humble'  are  used  of  Hooker  {op. 
cit.  2.88). 

8  At  the  conclusion  of  his  Lenten  sermon,  1630,  Donne  said  to 
a  friend  {op.  cit.  1.98):  'I  am  therefore  full  of  inexpressible  joy, 
and  shall  die  in  peace.' 

9-10     Cf.  Journals  1.18,  52,  55;   and  The  Pilgrim's  Dream. 

H-13  W'hen  Wotton  departed  for  Venice,  Donne  addressed 
him  as  {op.  cit.  1.146)  '[a]  taper  of  his  [James's]  torch,  ...  a  fair 
beam  of  the  same  warm  and  dazzling  sun.'  W^alton  called  Donne 
{op.  cit.  1.68)  'a  shining  light  among  his  old  friends.' 

14  The  epithet  'meek'  which  Wordsworth  applies  to  W^alton, 
W^alton  applies  to  Hooker  {op.  cit.  2.44,  74). 

3.6 

1-6  Dyer,  Hist.  Camb.  1.119:  'They  objected  to  the  discipline 
of  the  Church,  not  to  its  doctrines;  accordingly,  disapproving  the 
terms  of  conformity,  they  were  set  aside  from  their  benefices. 
About  2000  clergymen  in  different  parts  of  England  were  obliged 
to  relinquish  their  livings  in  the  Church,  and  many  were  ejected 
from  the  University  of  Cambridge.' 

2-3  Ibid.  1 .  1 1 2 :  '  There  were  men  on  each  side  of  great  abilities, 
equally  excelling  in  the  learning  which  distinguished  those  times; 
and  the  presumption  is  that  most  on  each  side,  who  chose  to  abide 
by  their  principles  and  relinquish  their  preferments,  were  men  of 
some  worth;  and  by  very  many  on  both  sides  the  latter  was 
preferred.'  Burnet,  Hist.  Own  Time  1.349:  'There  was  a  great 
debate  in  council  a  little  before  St.  Bartholomew's  day,  whether 
the  act  of  uniformity  should  be  punctually  executed,  or  not.' 


284  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL    SONNETS 

4-6  Ibid.  1. 351:  'After  St.  Bartholomew's  day,  the  dissenters, 
seeing  both  Court  and  Parliament  was  so  much  set  against  them, 
had  much  consultation  together  what  to  do.  Many  were  for  going 
over  to  Holland,  and  settling  there  with  their  ministers.  Others 
proposed  New  England  and  the  other  plantations.' 

7  Dyer,  op.  cit.  i.xxv:  'He  who  trifles  with  the  opinions  of 
others,  or  grows  wanton  over  their  mistakes,  does  it  at  his  own 
peril;  he  who  obeys  his  conscience  and  follows  truth,  has  nothing 
to  fear.' 

13-14  The  strong  opposition  between  'self-deceiving  wit'  and 
'the  cause  of  God'  suggests  that  Wordsworth  had  in  mind  and 
adapted  the  anecdote  related  by  Dyer  {ibid,  i.xxiii-xxiv)  when  he 
disclaimed  bigotry,  and  would  not  judge  between  '  Papist,  Episco- 
palian, or  Puritan;  .  .  .  Arian,  Socinian,  or  Methodist;  Unitarian, 
Trinitarian,  or  Deist.'  'Who  is  true  to  his  Church  .  .  .  and  who 
to  his  opinions  ...  let  others  settle.  ...  I  have  nothing  to  do 
with  men,  but  with  their  writings.  I  am  reminded  of  what  one  of 
our  old  masters  of  St.  John's  College  said,  who  lived  in  canting 
times.  Being,  on  a  certain  election,  urged  to  use  his  influence  for 
the  godly,  "This  is  a  case,"  he  replied,  "which  relates  not  to 
godliness,  but  learning.  Besides,  men  may  deceive  me  with  their 
godliness;   they  cannot  with  their  learning."' 

3-7 

1-4  Smith,  Poems  of  W.  W.  2.518:  'The  massacre  of  the 
V^audois  in  April,  1655,  excited  great  indignation  in  England,  and 
especially  moved  Cromwell  and  Milton.  The  latter  wrote  his 
famous  sonnet  Avenge,  0  Lord,  Thy  slatightered  saints,  while  Crom- 
well tried  to  stir  up  the  Protestant  powers  and  France  to  a  war 
w^ith  Spain  and  Savoy.  He  succeeded  in  getting  the  Duke  of 
Savoy  forced  to  drop  the  persecution  of  the  Vaudois.' 

5-12  Burnet  {Hist.  Own  Time  1.429-33)  gives  an  account  of 
the  Pentland  rebels:  'At  Lanarick,  in  Cliddisdale,  they  had  a 
solemn  fast  day,  in  which,  after  much  praying,  they  renewed  the 
covenant  and  set  out  their  manifesto.'  Under  Sharp's  orders 
Dalziel  marched  westward  and  attacked  the  rebels,  Nov.  28,  1666: 
the  rebels  were  posted  on  the  top  of  a  hill:  'Their  ministers  did 
all  they  could  by  preaching  and  praying  to  infuse  courage  into 
them;  and  they  sung  the  seventy-fourth  and  the  seventy-eighth 
Psalms.  And  so  they  turned  on  the  king's  forces.  They  received 
the  first  charge  that  was  given  by  the  troop  of  guards  very  reso- 
lutely, and  put  them  in  disorder.  But  that  was  all  the  action; 
for  immediately  they  lost  all  order,  and  ran  for  their  lives.  It  was 
now  dark:  about  forty  were  killed  on  the  spot,  and  a  hundred  and 
thirty  were  taken.  .  .  .  Lord  Rothes  .  .  .  resolved  to  proceed 
with  the  utmost  severity  against  the  prisoners.*  Attempts  were 
made  to  mollify  the  judges,  but  without  success.     '  It  was  a  moving 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  285 

sight  to  sec  ten  of  the  prisoners  hanged  upon  one  gibbet  at  Edin- 
burgh; thirty-five  were  sent  to  their  countries,  and  hanged  up 
before  their  own  doors.'  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversleyed.,  7.79:  'Com- 
pare The  Excursion  1. 175-6.' 

II  See  Burnet  (ibid.  1.430)  for  the  operation  of  'councils 
senseless  as  intolerant.' 

13-14  Cf.  Bede,  Eccl.  Hist.,  tr.  by  Sellar,  p.  48,  who  says  of 
Ethelbert:  'For  he  had  learned  from  those  who  had  instructed 
him  and  guided  him  to  salvation,  that  the  service  of  Christ  ought 
to  be  voluntary,  not  by  compulsion.'     Cf.  also  White  Doe  872-3. 

3.8 

1-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  i.ii:  'Upon  the  acquittal  of  the 
Seven  Bishops  I  have  done  little  more  than  versify  a  lively  descrip- 
tion of  that  event  in  the  MS.  Memoirs  of  the  first  Lord  Lonsdale.' 
Burnet,  who  was  familiar  with  the  MS.,  must  have  used  it  in  his 
account,  which  is  in  several  phrases  identical  with  the  sonnet  (Hist. 
Oivn  Time  3.222  fT.) :  'Towards  the  end  of  April  [1688]  the  King 
[James  II]  thought  fit  to  renew  the  declaration  that  he  had  set  out 
the  former  year  for  liberty  of  conscience.  .  .  .  The  King  was  not 
satisfied  with  the  publishing  his  declaration:  but  he  resolved  to 
oblige  the  clergy  to  read  it  in  all  their  churches  in  the  time  of  divine 
service.  .  .  .  They  resolved  not  to  read  the  declaration.  [San- 
croft,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury],  with  six  of  the  bishops  that 
came  up  to  London,  resolved  in  a  petition  to  the  king  to  lay  before 
him  the  reasons  that  determined  them  not  to  obey  the  order  of 
council  that  had  been  sent  them.  .  .  .  The  six  bishops  were  St. 
Asaph,  Ely,  Bath  and  Wells,  Peterborough,  Chichester,  and  Bristol. 
.  .  .  After  a  fortnight's  consultation,  the  bishops  were  cited  to 
appear  before  the  council;  ...  in  the  next  place  ...  to  appear 
in  the  Court  of  tl\e  King's  Bench,  and  answer  to  an  information 
of  misdemeanor.  They  excepted  to  this;  and  said  that  by  their 
peerage  they  were  not  bound  to  do  it.  Upon  their  insisting  on 
this,  they  were  sent  to  the  Tower.  .  .  .  This  set  all  the  whole  city 
into  the  highest  fermentation  that  was  ever  known  in  memory  of 
man.  The  Bishops  were  sent  by  water  to  the  Tower;  and  all  along  as 
they  passed,  the  banks  of  the  river  were  full  of  people  who  kneeled  down 
and  asked  their  blessing.  ...  A  week  after  their  commitment,  they 
were  brought  upon  a  habeas  corpus  to  the  King's  Bench  Bar.  .  .  . 
They  were  required  to  enter  into  bonds  for  small  sums,  to  answer 
to  the  information  that  day  fortnight.  .  .  .  The  bishops  were 
discharged  of  their  imprisonment;  and  people  of  all  sorts  ran  to 
visit  them  as  confessors,  one  company  going  in  as  another  went  out. 
.  .  .  All  the  streets  were  full  of  shoutings  the  rest  of  the  day,  and 
with  bonfires  at  night.  .  .  .  The  trial  did  last  long,  above  ten 
hours.  The  crowds  continued  in  expectation  all  the  while.  .  .  .  The 
jury  was  fairly  returned.     When  they  were  shut  up,   they  were 


286  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

soon  agreed  upon  their  verdict,  to  acquit  the  Bishops.  But  it  was 
thought  to  be  the  more  solemn  and  the  safer  way  to  continue  shut 
up  till  the  morning.  .  .  .  The  court  sat  again  next  day.  And 
then  the  jury  came  in  with  their  verdict,  upon  which  there  were 
such  shoutuigs,  so  long  continued,  and  as  it  were  echoed  into  the 
city,  that  all  the  people  were  struck  with  it.  Every  man  seemed 
transported  with  joy.  Bonfires  were  made  all  about  the  streets.  And 
the  news  go'ing  over  the  nation,  produced  the  like  rejoicings  and  bonfires 
all  England  over.'     The  italics  are  mine. 

3-9 

1-4  Burnet,  Hist.  Own  Time  3.325:  'The  prince  still  retained 
his  usual  calmness,  and  the  same  tranquillity  of  spirit  that  I  had 
observed  in  him  in  his  happiest  days.' 

5-8  Ibid.  3.132:  *I  fancied  his  belief  of  predestination  made 
him  more  adventurous  than  was  necessary.  But  he  said  as  to  that, 
he  firmly  believed  a  providence;  for  if  he  should  let  that  go,  all  his 
religion  would  be  much  shaken;  and  he  did  not  see  how  providence 
could  be  certain,  if  all  things  did  not  arise  out  of  the  absolute  will 
of  God.'  After  the  successful  trip  to  England  the  Prince  took 
Burnet  {ibid.  3.328)  'heartily  by  the  hand,  and  asked  me  if  I  would 
not  now  believe  predestination.' 

9-10  The  Prince's  declaration  ended  with  the  resolution  that 
he  would  consider  {ibid.  3.301)  'proper  and  effectual  remedies  for 
redressing  .  .  .  evils,  in  a  parliament  that  should  be  lawfully 
chosen,  and  should  sit  in  full  freedom,  according  to  the  ancient 
custom  and  Constitution  of  England,  with  which  he  would  concur 
in  all  things  that  might  tend  to  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the 
nation.' 

II     From  Torbay  to  Exeter,  to  Crookhorn,  to  Sherburn. 

13-14  Ibid.  3.342-4,  for  the  account  of  the  vacillation  and 
flight  of  James:  'Thus  a  great  king,  who  had  a*good  army  and  a 
strong  fleet,  did  choose  rather  to  abandon  all,  than  either  to  expose 
himself  to  any  danger  with  that  part  of  the  army  that  was  still 
firm  to  him,  or  to  stay  and  see  the  issue  of  a  parliament.' 

3.10 

1-8  Burnet  {Hist.  Own  Time  2.351  ff.)  gives  an  account  of  the 
affairs  of  Sidney  ('a  man  of  most  extraordinary  courage,  a  steady 
man,  even  to  obstinacy,  sincere,  but  of  a  rough  and  boisterous 
temper'), and  of  Russell  ('serene  and  calm').  He  add§  {ibid.  2.388): 
'After  he  [Russell]  had  delivered  this  paper,  he  prayed  by  himself; 
then  Tillotson  prayed  with  him.  After  that  he  prayed  again  by 
himself;  and  then  undressed  himself  and  laid  his  head  on  the 
block,  without  the  least  change  of  countenance;  and  it  was  cut  off 
at  two  strokes.'  Of  Sidney,  Burnet  says  (Vi/^.  2.410) :  'And  indeed 
he  met  death  with  an  unconcernedness  that  became  one  who  had 
set  up  Marcus  Brutus  for  his  pattern.* 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  287 

8-12  In  Cranmer's  Letter,  given  by  Walton  (Lives  2.120-1), 
the  'two  causes  ...  of  atheism'  are  as  follows:  'More  abundance 
of  wit  than  judgment,  and  of  witty  than  judicious  learning:  where- 
by they  are  more  inclined  to  contradict  anything  than  willing  to 
be  informed  of  the  truth.  They  are  not  therefore  men  of  sound 
learning,  for  the  most  part,  but  smatterers;  neither  is  their  kind 
of  dispute  so  much  by  force  of  argument  as  by  scoffing.  Which 
humor  of  scoffing  and  turning  matters  most  serious  into  merriment 
is  now  become  so  common,  as  we  are  not  to  marvel  what  the 
Prophet  means  by  "the  seat  of  scorners"!  ...  A  second  cause  of 
atheism  is  sensuality,  which  maketh  men  desirous  to  remove  all 
stops  and  impediments  of  their  wicked  life.  .  .  .  But  what  conceit 
can  be  imagined  more  base  than  that  man  should  persuade  himself 
even  against  the  secret  instinct  (no  doubt)  of  his  own  mind,  that 
his  soul  is  as  the  soul  of  a  beast,  mortal,  and  corruptible  with  the 
body?  .  .  .  Surely  the  soul  were  not  able  to  conceive  anything  of 
heaven,  no  not  so  much  as  to  dispute  against  heaven,  and  against 
God,  if  there  were  not  in  it  something  heavenly  and  derived  from 
God.' 

13-14  Walton,  Hooker,  ibid.  2.85:  'For  spiritual  things  are 
spiritually  discerned.'     See  i  Corinthians  2.14. 

1-14  Burnet  {Hist.  Own  Time  5.434)  discusses  at  length  the 
affair  of  Sacheverell,  'this  being  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
transactions  in  my  time.' 

1-3  Ihid.  5.436-9:  'There  had  been,  ever  since  the  queen 
came  to  the  crown,  an  open  revival  of  the  doctrine  of  passive 
obedience  and  non-resistance,  by  one  Lesley.  .  .  .  One  Hoadly,  a 
pious  and  judicious  divine  .  .  .  asserted  that  it  was  not  only 
lawful,  but  a  duty  incumbent  on  all  men,  to  resist  ,  .  .  [bad  and 
cruel  governors];  concluding  all  with  a  vindication  of  the  revolution 
and  the  present  government.  Upon  this,  a  great  outcry  was 
raised,  as  if  he  had  preached  rebellion.  .  .  .  Sacheverell  did  with 
great  virulence  reflect  on  him,  and  on  me  [Burnet],  and  on  several 
other  Bishops,  carrying  his  venom  as  far  back  as  to  Archbishop 
Grindal,  whom,  for  his  moderation,  he  called  a  perfidious  prelate 
and  a  false  son  of  the  Church.' 

4-5  Ihid.  5.434:  'Dr.  Sacheverell  was  a  bold,  insolent  man, 
with  a  very  small  measure  of  religion,  virtue,  learning,  or  good 
sense;  but  he  resolved  to  force  himself  into  popularity  and  prefer- 
ment by  the  most  petulant  railings  at  dissenters  and  low  churchmen, 
in  several  sermons  and  libels  wrote  without  either  chasteness  of 
style  or  liveliness  of  expression:  all  was  one  unpractised  strain  of 
indecent  and  scurrilous  language.' 

6  Sacheverell  was  impeached  by  the  House  of  Commons. 
During  the  trial  at  Westminster  hall  there  were  great  disorders. 


288  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

6-8  Ihid.  5.445-6:  'Many  of  the  queen's  chaplains  stood  about 
him,  encouraging  and  magnifying  him;  and  it  was  given  out  that 
the  queen  herself  favored  him.' 

9-10  Ihid.  5.444:  'The  word  upon  which  all  shouted  was  The 
Church  and  Sacheverell!  and  such  as  joined  not  in  the  shout  were 
insulted  and  knocked  down:  before  my  own  door  one  with  a  spade 
cleft  the  skull  of  another,  who  would  not  shout  as  they  did.' 

11-14  Ihid.  5.439:  '  The  clergy  did  generally  espouse  Sacheverell 
as  their  champion,  who  had  stood  in  the  breach;  and  so  they 
reckoned  his  cause  was  their  own.'  For  'fierce  extremes'  cf. 
Milton,  P.  L.  2.598  ff. 

3.12 

1-14  For  the  textual  history  of  this  sonnet,  see  p.  199.  Cf. 
Journals  2.1 80-1,  especially  the  following:  'All  these  monuments 
of  former  times  combine  with  villages  and  churches,  and  dells 
(between  the  steeps)  green  or  corn-clad,  and  with  the  majestic  river 
(here  spread  out  like  a  lake),  to  compose  a  most  affectingly  beautiful 
scene,  whether  viewed  in  prospect  or  in  retrospect.  Still  we  rolled 
along  (ah!  far  too  swiftly!  .  .  .)  meeting  the  flowing  river,  smooth 
as  glass,  yet  so  rapid  that  the  stream  of  motion  is  always  perceptible, 
even  from  a  great  distance.' 

3-12     Cf.  Bowles,  Sonnet  on  the  River  Rhine,  lines  6-14: 

Lo!  the  woods  open,  and  the  rocks  retire, 
Some  convent's  ancient  walls  or  glist'ning  spire 
'Mid  the  bright  landscape's  track  unfolding  slow. 
Here  dark,  with  furrow'd  aspect,  like  despair. 
Frowns  the  bleak  cliff — there  on  the  woodland's  side 
The  shadowy  sunshine  pours  its  streaming  tide; 
Whilst  Hope,  enchanted  with  the  scene  so  fair. 
Would  wish  to  linger  many  a  summer's  day, 
Nor  heeds  how  fast  the  prospect  winds  away. 

3-13,  14,  15 

For  the  circumstances  attending  the  composition  of  these  three 
sonnets,  see  pp.  50-3.  Wordsworth,  note  on  3.13,  14,  15:  'Amer- 
ican episcopacy,  in  union  with  the  Church  in  England,  strictly 
belongs  to  the  general  subject;  and  I  here  make  my  acknowledg- 
ments to  my  American  friends.  Bishop  Doane,  and  Mr.  Henry 
Reed  of  Philadelphia,  for  having  suggested  to  me  the  propriety  of 
adverting  to  it,  and  pointed  out  the  virtues  and  intellectual  qualities 
of  Bishop  White,  which  so  eminently  fitted  him  for  the  great  work 
he  undertook.  Bishop  White  was  consecrated  at  Lambeth,  Feb.  4, 
1787,  by  Archbishop  Moore;  and  before  his  long  life  was  closed, 
twenty-six  bishops  had  been  consecrated  in  America,  by  himself. 
For  his  character  and  opinions  see  his  own  numerous  Works,  and 
a  Sermon  in  Commemoration  of  him,  by  George  W^ashington  Doane, 
Bishop  of  New  Jersey.' 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  289 

13. 10-12  Bishop  Seabury,  in  his  Brief  Vicu'  (p.  2),  a  sermon 
on  Bishop  White  sent  by  Seabury  himself  to  Wordsworth  {Memoirs 
2.389),  refers  to  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel:  'He  conducted 
them  in  their  perilous  sojourn  through  the  wilderness,  heading 
them  in  the  hour  of  danger,  guiding  them  in  peri)k'xity,  and  cheering 
them  in  adversity,  until  they  arrived  at  the  conlhies  of  the  promised 
land.'     Seabury  applies  the  figure  to  the  leadership  of  White. 

13. 13-14  Bishoj:)  Doane's  Scrmoyi  has  as  its  text  Proverbs  4.18: 
'The  path  of  the  just  is  as  the  shining  light.' 

14. 1-9  Bishop  Seabury  {op.  cit.,  pp.  21-2)  speaks  of  'the 
excellence  of  our  laws  in  discouraging  the  spirit  of  caprice  and 
innovation  without  repressing  a  prudent  zeal,'  and  of  'the  whole- 
some restraints  of  our  discipline,'  which,  'far  from  checking  the 
flow  of  piety,  have  served  rather  to  guide  it  in  the  channels  of 
peace  and  order.' 

14. 9-14  Bishop  Doane's  Sermon  (p.  6)  has  a  passage  very  like 
the  sestet  of  Wordsworth's  sonnet:  'Nor  does  the  glorious  progress 
ever  terminate.  .  .  .  "They  go  on  from  strength  to  strength." 
They  rise  from  grace  to  grace.  Knowledge  is  added  to  knowledge. 
Virtue  is  builded  upon  virtue.  .  .  .  Triumph  lends  facility  to 
triumph.  Conquest  gathers  security  from  conquest.'  Cf.  also 
Seabury,  op.  cit.,  p.  25:  'Happy  are  we,  my  brethren,  as  a  Church 
at  unity  with  herself.' 

15. 1  Bishop  Doane's  Sermon  begins  with  a  rhapsody  on  the 
word  'light.' 

15.7  Cf.  the  'Church  at  unity'  of  the  note  on  14. 9-14. 

15.8  Letter  to  W^ordsworth  from  Henry  Reed,  April  7,  1840, 
in  MS.  in  the  collection  of  Mrs.  St.  John:  'I  have  in  my  mind  the 
career  of  the  late  Bishop  White  (the  grandfather  of  my  wife) — a 
long  old  age  was  his  in  the  enjoyment  of  unbroken  health.  Year 
after  year  came  round,  and  we  beheld  him  still  zealous  in  his 
ecclesiastical  functions,  active  for  the  good  of  mankind,  with  his 
kindred  and  friends  around  him,  awaiting  with  placid  piety  his  last 
hour;  and  thus  was  his  life  protracted  to  near  the  verge  of  90  years, 
and  to  the  last  his  length  of  days  was  a  happiness  to  himself  and  a 
blessing  mercifully  vouchsafed  to  his  fellow-men.'  Cf.  also  Doane, 
op.  cit.,  p.  28:    'His  saintly  death.' 

15.9  Seabury,  op.  cit.  (p.  7):  'The  venerable  patriarch';  and 
(p.  26) :  'The  family  that  has  been  reared  and  educated  and  advan- 
tageously settled  in  life  by  the  labors  of  a  father  .  .  .  grieve  at 
his  loss';  and  (p.  22):  'Our  missionaries,  Bishops  as  well  as  Pres- 
byters, are  found  in  the  distant  extremes  of  both  hemispheres.' 

15. 1 1  Doane,  op.  cit.,  p.  14:  'A  Church  was  to  be  reformed, 
and  Thomas  Cranmer  rose.  A  Church  was  to  be  built  up,  and  he 
sent  William  White.' 

15.12  Cf.  the  note  on  14. 1-9. 
20 


290  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

15. 13-14  Seabury,  op.  cit.,  p.  21:  'The  silent  influence  of 
collective  wisdom  embodied  in  a  primitive  and  catholic  liturgy.' 
Doane  {op.  cit.)  refers  to  the  Scriptures  in  this  connection,  and 
continues  (p.  16):  'The  learning  of  our  senior  Bishop  ...  he 
[poured  out]  as  freely  as  men  pour  out  water,  and  with  as  much 
simplicity.'  Cf.  the  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  1.25. 13-14.  Doane  is  also 
the  source  of  the  unusual  phrase  'patient  energy'  (p.  17). 

3.16 

1-5  The  Annotated  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  1871, 
p.  557:  'And  now  again  we  exhort  you,  in  the  Name  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  you  have  in  remembrance  into  how  high  a 
Dignity,  and  to  how  weighty  an  Office  and  Charge  ye  are  called: 
that  is  to  say,  to  be  Messengers,  Watchmen,  and  Stewards  of  the 
Lord;  to  teach  and  to  premonish,  to  feed  and  provide  for  the 
Lord's  family;  to  seek  for  Christ's  sheep  that  are  dispersed  abroad, 
and  for  his  children  who  are  in  the  midst  of  this  naughty  world, 
that  they  may  be  saved  through  Christ  for  ever.  .  .  .  Have  always 
therefore  printed  in  your  remembrance,  how  great  a  treasure  is 
committed  to  your  charge.  For  they  are  the  sheep  of  Christ, 
which  he  bought  with  his  death,  and  for  whom  he  shed  his  blood.' 
Cf.  Jeremiah  5.6,  Ezekiel  22.27,  Habakkuk  1.8,  Zephaniah  3.3, 
Matthew  7.15  and  10.16,  Acts  20.29. 

9-14  Ibid.,  p.  557:  'And  if  it  shall  happen  the  same  Church, 
or  any  Member  thereof,  to  take  any  hurt  or  hindrance  by  reason 
of  your  negligence,  ye  know  the  greatness  of  the  fault,  and  also  the 
horrible  punishment  that  will  ensue.' 

12  Cf.  the  'gulf  profound'  of  Milton's  Serbonian  bog  {P.L. 
2-592);  cf.  also  {Apology)  his  reference  to  'the  non-resident  and 
plurality-gaping  prelates,  the  gulfs  and  whirlpools  of  benefices,  but 
the  dry  pits  of  all  sound  [line  10]  doctrine.' 

13  ^  Henry  Reed  wrote  to  Wordsworth,  Sept.  28,  1843,  a  letter 
now  in  the  collection  of  Mrs.  St.  John:  'In  the  sonnet  on  the 
ordination  and  consecration  services  is  there  not  a  possibility  that 
the  "if"  in  the  last  line  but  one  ("if  rightly  taught")  may  be 
misapprehended  so  as  to  convey  the  notion  of  an  expression  of 
doubt.  I  do  not  at  all  so  understand  your  meaning,  but  it  has 
occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  so  taken,  especially  as  it  is  preceded 
in  the  same  sentence  by  another  "if,"  which  is  purely  conditional 
in  its  meaning,  and  another  of  the  same  kind  some  lines  above. 
Would  it  admit  of  the  substitution  of  the  word  "for"  ("for  they 
were  rightly  taught")?'  Wordsworth  replied  {Letters  3.284):  'I 
thank  you  for  your  criticism  upon  the  sonnet.  Let  it  be  altered 
as  you  suggest.'     But  the  change  was  not  made  in  the  text. 

3-17 
1-2     Wordsworth  usually  refers  to  an  individual  star.     But  cf. 
Prelude  6.127-8. 


OF    WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  291 

3-4     Cf.  Misc.  Son.  1.32. 1-2: 

W^ith  Ships  the  sea  was  sprinkled  far  and  nigh, 
Like  stars  in  heaven,  and  joyously  it  showed. 

5-8     Cf.  Diiddon  31. 1-6: 

The  Kirk  of  Ulpha  to  the  pilgrim's  eye 

Is  welcome  as  a  star,  that  doth  present 

Its  shining  forehead  through  the  peaceful  rent 

Of  a  black  cloud  diffused  o'er  half  the  sky: 

Or  as  a  fruitful  palm-tree  towering  high 

O'er  the  parched  waste  beside  an  Arab's  tent. 

9-14  Cf.  Dcsc.  Seen.  Lakes,  Prose  Works  2.60-3,  especially  the 
following:  *A  man  must  be  very  insensible  who  would  not  be 
touched  with  pleasure  at  the  sight  of  the  chapel  of  Buttermere,  so 
strikingly  expressing,  by  its  diminutive  size,  how  small  must  be 
the  congregation  there  assembled,  as  it  were,  like  one  family;  and 
proclaiming  at  the  same  time  to  the  passenger,  in  connection  with 
the  surrounding  mountains,  the  depth  of  the  seclusion  in  which 
the  people  live,  that  has  rendered  necessary  the  building  of  a 
separate  place  of  worship  for  so  few.' 

3.18 

1-14  Wordsworth,  note  on  3.18:  'Among  the  benefits  arising, 
as  Mr.  Coleridge  has  well  observed,  from  a  Church  establishment 
of  endowments  corresponding  with  the  w'ealth  of  the  country  to 
which  it  belongs,  may  be  reckoned  as  eminently  important,  the 
examples  of  civility  and  refinement  w'hich  the  clergy  stationed  at 
intervals  afford  to  the  whole  people.  The  established  clergy  in 
many  parts  of  England  have  long  been,  as  they  continue  to  be, 
the  principal  bulwark  against  barbarism,  and  the  link  which  unites 
the  sequestered  peasantry  with  the  intellectual  advancement  of  the 
age.  Nor  is  it  below  the  dignity  of  the  subject  to  observe  that 
their  taste,  as  acting  upon  rural  residences  and  scenery,  often 
furnishes  models  which"  country  gentlemen,  who  are  more  at  liberty 
to  follow  the  caprices  of  fashion,  might  profit  by.  The  precincts 
of  an  old  residence  must  be  treated  by  ecclesiastics  with  respect, 
both  from  prudence  and  necessity.  I  remember  being  much  pleased 
some  years  ago  at  Rose  Castle,  the  rural  seat  of  the  See  of  Carlisle, 
with  a  style  of  garden  and  architecture  which,  if  the  place  had 
belonged  to  a  wealthy  layman,  would  no  doubt  have  been  swept 
away.  A  parsonage-house  generally  stands  not  far  from  the  church; 
this  proximity  imposes  favorable  restraints,  and  sometimes  sug- 
gests an  affecting  union  of  the  accommodations  and  elegancies  of 
life  with  the  outward  signs  of  piety  and  mortality.  With  pleasure 
I  recall  to  mind  a  happy  instance  of  this  in  the  residence  of  an  old 
and  much -valued  friend  in  Oxfordshire.  The  house  and  church 
stand  parallel  to  each  other,  at  a  small  distance;  a  circular  lawn, 
or   rather   grass-plot,    spreads   between    them;     shrubs   and    trees 


292  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

curve  from  each  side  of  the  dwelling,  veiling,  but  not  hiding,  the 
church.  From  the  front  of  this  dwelling  no  part  of  the  burial- 
ground  is  seen;  but  as  you  wind  by  the  side  of  the  shrubs  towards 
the  steeple-end  of  the  church,  the  eye  catches  a  single,  small,  low, 
monumental  head-stone,  moss-grown,  sinking  into,  and  gently 
inclining  towards  the  earth.  Advance,  and  the  churchyard, 
populous  and  gay  with  glittering  tombstones,  opens  upon  the  view. 
This  humble  and  beautiful  parsonage  called  forth  a  tribute,  for 
which  see  the  seventh  of  the  Miscellaneous  Sonnets,  Part  III.'  The 
sonnet  to  which  Wordsworth  refers  was  from  1822  to  1827  in  print 
only  here,  at  the  end  of  his  note  on  Pastoral  Character.  Cf.  MS. 
F,  p.  107;  cf.  also  Excursion  5.97-106,  769. 

3-19 

1-14  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.89:  'Cf.  The  Christian 
Year,  by  Keble,  passim.' 

1-3  The  phrase  'passionate  exercise  of  lofty  thoughts'  recalls 
the  Preface  of  1800:  'The  manner  in  which  w^e  associate  ideas 
in  a  state  of  excitement.' 

9-14  The  frequent  revision  of  this  sonnet  (see  p.  201)  indicates 
Wordsworth's  uncertainty  as  to  the  part  the  liturgical  group  should 
play  in  the  series. 

14  Revelation  21.1 :  'And  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth: 
for  the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  were  passed  away;  and 
there  was  no  more  sea.' 

3.20 

I  Wordsworth  wrote  to  Reed,  Sept.  2^,  1845,  about  the  edition 
of  1845  (Alemoirs  2.425):  'In  a  very  few  instances  I  have  altered 
the  expression  for  the  worse,  on  account  of  the  same  feeling  or 
word  occurring  rather  too  near  the  passage.  For  example,  the 
sonnet  on  Baptism  begins  ^^ Blest  be  the  Church,"  But  unfortu- 
nately the  word  occurs  some  three  or  four  lines  just  before  or  after; 
I  have  therefore,  though  reluctantly,  substituted  the  less  impressive 
word,  "Pear  be  the  Church.'"  Does  he  refer  to 'fitliest'?  'Blest' 
occurs  no  nearer  than  3.13  or  3.31;  'blessed,'  however,  occurs  in 
3.16.1. 

1-4  Walton  {Hooker,  in  Lives  2.21-2)  speaks  of  'the  seeds  of 
piety  ...  so  seasonably  planted,  and  so  continually  watered  with 
the  daily  dew  of  God's  blessed  spirit,  that  his  infant  virtues  grew 
into  such  holy  habits  as  did  make  him  grow  daily  into  more  and 
more  favor,  both  with  God  and  man.'  Book  of  Common  Prayer, 
ed.  by  Blunt,  pp.  217-18:  'Dearly  beloved,  forasmuch  as  all  men 
are  conceived  and  born  in  sin;  and  that  our  Saviour  Christ  saith, 
None  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  except  he  be  regenerate 
and  born  anew  of  Water  and  of  the  holy  Ghost;  I  beseech  you  to 
vcall  upon  God  the  Father,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  of 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  293 

his  bounteous  mercy  he  will  gram  to  tiiis  Child  that  thing  which 

by  nature  he  cannot  have.' 

8     Ibid.,  p.  220:    'After  the  Gos[)el  is  read,   the  Minister  shall 

make  this  brief  exhortation  upon  the  words  of  the  Gospel.'     See 

ibid.,  pp.  221-3,  ^or  the  pledges  of  godfathers  and  godmothers. 

• 
3.21 

1-14  See  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  pp.  221-3, 
for  the  vows  of  the  sponsors. 

12     Shakespeare,  Macbeth  4.1.83. 

3.22 

1-14  Hutchinson,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  445:  'See  Bishop 
Wordsworth's  Memoirs  of  William  Wordsworth  1.8;  and  The  Prelude 
5.256-93.'  Memoirs:  'I  remember  my  mother  only  in  some  few 
situations,  one  of  which  was  her  pinning  a  nosegay  to  my  breast 
when  I  was  going  to  say  the  Catechism  in  the  church,  as  was 
customary  before  Easter.' 

5     Virgil,  Ec.  1.54-5: 

Hyblaeis  apibus  florem  depasta  salicti 
Saepe  levi  somnum  suadebit  inire  susurro. 

Wordsworth's  references  to  bees  are  numerous.  Cf.  Vernal  Ode^ 
especially  line  90: 

To  the  soft  murmur  of  the  vagrant  Bee. 

Cf.  the  vocabulary  of  this  sonnet  with  that  of  The  Funeral  Service, 
Eccl.  Son.  3.31  (1845).  The  diction  of  the  later  sonnet  is  more 
abstract  ('vernal  posy' — 'hope'),  more  general  ('happy  hand' — 'weal, 
care'),  less  personal  ('Pastor' — 'Church'),  more  formal  ('sweet 
flowers' — 'blest  rite'),  less  emotional  ('anxious  heart' — 'mortal 
weight'),  less  suggestive  of  associated  experience  ('murmur  .  .  .  dis- 
tant bee' — 'its  natural  echo'),  and  less  compact  ('heartfelt' — 'deep 
in  the  thankful  heart'). 

3-23 

4-5,  8  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  p.  256:  'Do  ye 
here,  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  of  this  congregation,  renew  the 
solemn  promise  and  vow  that  was  made  in  your  name  at  your 
Baptism;  rectifying  and  confirming  the  same  in  your  own  persons, 
and  acknowledging  yourselves  bound  to  believe,  and  to  do,  all 
those  things  which  your  Godfathers  and  Godmothers  then  under- 
took for  you?' 

5-6     Ibid.:    '  I  do.' 

9-10  Ibid.,  p.  258:  'Then  all  of  them  in  order  kneeling  before 
the  Bishop,  he  shall  lay  his  hand  upon  the  head  of  every  one 
severally.' 


294  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

10  Ibid.:  'Defend,  O  Lord,  this  thy  child  with  thy  heavenly 
grace,  that  he  may  continue  thine  for  ever:  and  daily  increase  in 
thy  holy  Spirit  more  and  more,  until  he  come  unto  thy  everlasting 
kingdom.' 

3-24 

5,  10-13     Milton,  P.  L.  7.1,  7-12: 

Descend  from  Heav'n  Urania,  ... 
Heav'nlie  feorne, 
Before  the  Hills  appeerd,  or  Fountain  flow'd. 
Thou  with  Eternal  wisdom  didst  converse, 
Wisdom  thy  Sister,  and  with  her  didst  play 
In  presence  of  th'  Almightie  Father,  pleas'd 
With  thy  Celestial  Song. 

3-25 

5-8  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  p.  183:  'Therefore 
with  Angels  and  Archangels,  and  with  all  the  company  of  heaven, 
we  laud  and  magnify  thy  glorious  Name.' 

lo-ii  Ibid.,  p.  173:  'Do  ye  not  know,  that  they  who  would 
minister  about  holy  things  live  of  the  sacrifice;  and  they  who  wait 
at  the  altar  are  partakers  with  the  altar?' 

11-13  Ibid.,  p.  172:  'Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is 
in  Heaven.' 

13-14     Prayer  is  made  for  the  Church  militant. 

3.26 

2-3  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  p.  264:  'Dearly 
beloved,  we  are  gathered  together  here  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  in 
the  face  of  this  congregation  .  .   .' 

4-5  Ibid.,  pp.  266-8:  'The  Minister,  receiving  the  woman  at 
her  father's  or  friend's  hands,  shall  cause  the  man  with  his  right 
hand  to  take  the  woman  by  her  right  hand.  .  .  And  the  woman, 
with  her  right  hand  taking  the  man  by  his  right  hand.  .  .  And 
the  man  shall  give  unto  the  woman  a  ring.' 

5-8  Ibid.,  p.  269:  'Send  thy  blessing  upon  these  thy  servants 
.  .  .  that  .  .  .  [they]  may  surely  perform  and  keep  the  vow  and 
covenant  betwixt  them  made.' 

10  Spenser,  Epithalamion  216-17.  Knight  and  Smith  both 
refer  to  this  source.  Knight  also  refers  to  Southey's  All  for  Love 
4.46  {P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.95). 

3-27 

1-14  Harper  {William  Wordsworth  2.51)  quotes  from  a  letter  of 
Dorothy  Wordsworth  to  Mrs.  Clarkson,  July  15,  [1803]:    'To-day 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  295 

we  have  all  been  at  Church.     Mary  was  churched  and   the  babe 
christened.' 

6-8     Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  p.  305:   'Forasmuch^ 
as  it  hath  pleased  Almighty  God  of  his  goodness  to  give  you  safe 
deliverance,  and  hath  preserved  you  in  the  great  danger  of  child- 
birth;  you  shall  therefore  give  hearty  thanks  unto  God.' 

8-13  Notice  Wordsworth's  adaptation  of  this  liturgical  prayer 
{ibid.,  p.  306):  'Grant,  we  beseech  thee  .  .  .  that  she,  through 
thy  help,  may  both  faithfully  live,  and  walk  according  to  thy  will 
in  this  life  present.' 

3.28 

4-6  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  p.  277:  'When  any 
person  is  sick,  notice  shall  be  given  thereof  to  the  Minister  of  the 
Parish;  who,  coming  into  the  sick  person's  house,  shall  say  .  .  . 
When  he  cometh  into  the  sick  man's  presence  he  shall  say,  kneeling 
down  .  .  .  Then  the  Minister  shall  say,  Let  us  Pray.' 

7-9  Ibid.,  pp.  283-4:  'Here  shall  the  sick  person  be  moved  to 
make  a  special  confession  of  his  sins,  if  he  feel  his  conscience 
troubled  with  any  weighty  matter.  After  which  confession,  the 
Priest  shall  absolve  him  (if  he  humbly  and  heartily  desire  it)  after 
this  sort.' 

9-14  Ibid.,  p.  279:  'That,  if  it  be  thy  good  pleasure  to  restore  him 
to  his  former  health,  he  may  lead  the  residue  of  his  life  in  thy  fear, 
and  to  thy  glory:  or  else  give  him  grace  so  to  take  thy  visitation, 
that  after  this  painful  life  ended  he  may  dwell  with  thee  in  life 
everlasting.' 

3-29 

1-3  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  pp.  308-9,  note: 
'The  introduction  of  the  awful  Judaic  maledictions  into  the  ancient 
service,  and  the  archaic  character  of  the  homily,  will  probably 
always  restrict  its  use  to  the  first  day  of  Lent.  The  form  in  which 
these  are  used  is  singularly  out  of  character  with  the  general  tone 
of  the  Prayer  Book;  denunciation  of  sin  ordinarily  taking  the  form 
of  a  Litany,  not  of  an  exhortation,  under  the  Christian  dispensation.' 

7-8  Ibid.,  p.  307:  'The  general  sentences  of  God's  cursing 
against  impenitent  sinners  .  .  .  and  that  ye  should  answer  to  every 
sentence.  Amen.' 

13-14  Ibid.,  p.  308:  'For  now  is  the  axe  put  unto  the  root  of 
the  trees,  so  that  every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth  good  fruit  is 
hewn  down,  and  cast  into  the  fire.' 

3-30 

5  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  p.  525:  'O  most 
powerful  and  glorious  Lord  God,  at  whose  command  the  winds 
blow,  and  lift  up  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  who  stillest  the  rage 
thereof  .  .  .' 


296  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL   SONNETS 

6-8  Ihid.,  p.  527:  'We  .  .  .  humbly  present  ourselves  again 
before  thy  Divine  Majesty,  to  offer  a  sacrifice  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving, for  that  thou  heardest  us  when  we  called  in  our  trouble, 
and  didst  not  cast  out  our  prayer,  which  we  made  before  thee  in 
our  great  distress:  even  when  we  gave  all  for  lost,  our  ship,  our 
goods,  our  lives,  then  didst  thou  mercifully  look  upon  us,  and 
wonderfully  command  a  deliverance.' 

8-14  Ibid.,  p.  526:  'Thou  sittest  in  the  throne  judging  right, 
and  therefore  we  make  our  address  to  thy  Divine  Majesty  in  this 
our  necessity,  that  thou  wouldest  take  the  cause  into  thine  own 
hand,  and  judge  between  us  and  our  enemies.' 

3-31 

1-14     Cf.  the  last  note  on  EccL  Son.  3.22. 

5-6  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  p.  295:  'I  know 
that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day 
upon  the  earth.' 

9-11  Ibid.,  p.  297:  'He  cometh  up,  and  is  cut  down,  like  a 
flower.'  Cf.  Psalm  103.15:  'As  for  man,  his  days  are  as  grass:  a 
a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he  flourisheth.' 

13-14     I  Corinthians  15.55. 

3-32 

I      The  Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

2-3  Wordsworth,  note  on  3.32:  'This  is  still  continued  in  many 
churches  in  Westmoreland.  It  takes  place  in  the  month  of  July, 
when  the  floor  of  the  stalls  is  strewn  with  fresh  rushes;  and  hence 
it  is  called  the  "Rush-bearing."'     Cf.  Letters  3.205. 

4-12  Whitaker,  Hist.  Craven,  p.  402:  'Among  the  seasons  of 
periodical  festivity  was  the  rush-bearing,  or  the  ceremony  of 
conveying  fresh  rushes  to  strew  the  floor  of  the  parish  church. 
This  method  of  covering  floors  was  universal  in  houses  while  floors 
were  of  earth;  but  is  now  confined  to  JDlaces  of  worship.  The 
bundles  of  the  girls  were  adorned  with  wreaths  of  flowers,  and  the 
evening  concluded  with  a  dance.' 

13-14  Laud's  concern  for  the  outward  form  of  worship  has  been 
mentioned  {Eccl.  Son.  2.45).  Hooker's  perambulations  are  referred 
to  by  Walton  {Lives  2.91-2):  'He  would  by  no  means  omit  the 
customary  time  of  procession,  persuading  all,  both  rich  and  poor, 
if  they  desired  the  preservation  of  love,  and  their  parish  rights  and 
liberties,  to  accompany  him  in  his  perambulation;  and  most  did 
so:  in  which  perambulation  he  would  usually  express  more  pleasant 
discourse  than  at  other  times,  and  would  then  always  drop  some 
loving  and  facetious  observations,  to  be  remembered  against  the 
next  year,  especially  by  the  boys  and  young  people;  still  inclining 
them  and  all   his  present  parishioners  to   meekness  and   mutual 


OP^  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  297 

kindnesses  and  love;    because  "Love  thinks  not  evil,  but  covers  a 
multitude  of  infirmities.'" 

3-33 

1-6  Whilaker,  JJist.  Craven,  pp.  401-2:  'The  Catholic  religion 
was  admirably  calculated  to  lay  hold  on  the  imagination  and 
senses  of  the  vulgar.  It  was  a  religion  of  shows  and  festivities. 
Nor  was  its  influence  forgotten  in  Craven  at  the  end  of  two  centuries 
after  the  Reformation.  Such  as  the  great  holidays  of  the  Church, 
the  feast  of  the  patron  saint,  parochial  perambulations  and  religious 
epochs  in  private  families,  baptisms,  thanksgivings  after  child- 
birth, marriages,  and  even  burials,  were  all  celebrated  with  ca- 
rousing. To  these  may  be  added  the  masks,  mummeries,  and  rude 
dramatic  performances,  which  evidently  arose  out  of  the  mystery 
plays  anciently  exhibited  in  the  parish  church  by  the  minister  and 
his  clerks.  And  when  we  take  into  account  another  class  of 
feastings  purely  rustic,  such  as  the  sheep-shearing,  hay-getting,  and 
harvest-home,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  life  of  a  Craven  peasant 
was  sufficiently  diversified  and  cheerful.' 

6-8     Cf.  Eccl.  Son.  2.1 1. 1-3. 

9-14  In  these  lines  the  trace  of  earlier  impressions  is  very  clear. 
Cf.  Journals  1.3-4,  5>  8,  9,  115,  116,  118.  Cf.  also  A^ith  4  and 
Green  Linnet  13-16. 

3.34 

1-14  Dyer  {Hist.  Camh.  2.179),  in  his  description  of  Catherine 
Hall,  uses  images  which  are  at  the  basis  of  Eccl.  Son.  3.34,  3-35, 
and  3.37,  sonnets  illustrating  the  themes  of  mutability  and  charity: 
'  Passing  from  the  hall,  chapel,  and  other  parts  of  these  buildings, 
we  may  spend  a  minute  or  two  agreeably  enough  in  the  garden. 
No  scene  is  more  pleasing  to  the  eye  than  a  garden,  or  spreads 
over  the  mind  a  finer  calm:  this,  in  the  present  instance,  may  be 
assisted,  on  observing  how  the  features  of  this  piece  of  ground 
harmonize  with  the  general  character  of  the  place.  It  is  a  flower- 
garden,  a  little  spot,  but  neat  and  elegant;  formerly,  about  some 
50  years  ago,  a  statue  of  Charity  stood  in  the  midst;  and  though 
ancient  or  foreign  statues  may  not  comport  well  with  an  English 
garden,  as  having  no  relation  to  the  place,  and  expressing  no 
important  meaning,  yet  Charity  never  faileth;  she  is  the  genius  of 
all  climes  and  ages;  and  in  a  place  that  was  founded  by  a  lady,  and 
of  which  a  lady  is  the  protectress  saint,  a  statue  of  Charity  was  a 
natural  memento,  and  an  appropriate  decoration.' 

1-3  Ihid.:  'A  contemplative  mind  might,  perhaps,  find  further 
matter  for  reflection,  on  recollecting  that  on  the  spot  where  is  now 
the  garden,  was  formerly  a  chapel:  thus  time  changes  everything; 
and  the  place  which  at  one  period  is  the  grave  of  human  beings, 
becomes  at  another  a  garden  fragrant  with  sweets,  and  blooming 
with  vegetative  life.'  This  is  a  concrete  expression  of  'high  to  low' 
and  'low  to  high.'     Cf.  MS.  F,  p.  108. 


298  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

10-14     Cf.  White  Doe  1909-10. 

10-12     Cf.  Journals  2.169:   'That  once  superb  but  now  decaying 
structure  .  .   .  "lorded  over  and  possessed  by  nature.'" 
14     Ibid.  2.168-9:    'The  silent  progress  of  time.' 

3-35 

3-12  Wordsworth's  note  on  3.35:  'This  is  borrowed  from  an 
affecting  passage  in  Mr.  George  Dyer's  history  of  Cambridge.' 
Dyer,  op.  cit.  i.vii-viii:  '  It  is  as  natural  for  people  to  receive  gratifica- 
tion from  the  history  of  the  places  where  they  were  educated,  as  from 
revisiting  them.  In  both  cases,  where  there  is  a  consciousness  of 
having  passed  the  years  of  early  life  in  literary  pursuits,  and  virtu- 
ous conduct,  there  will  arise  a  thousand  pleasing  recollections, 
not  affected  much  by  the  remembrance  of  departed  friends  (for 
what  we  call  melancholy  feelings  are  our  better  and  more  salutary 
ones),  nor  much  by  a  sense  of  the  intermixture  of  some  follies  like 
the  ivy  twining  about  the  oak;  for  time  acts  by  our  follies  as  by 
our  resentments;  it  teaches  us  to  forgive  and  forget  our  own  in- 
firmities, not  less  than  those  of  others:  so  that,  generally  speaking, 
in  retracing  the  scenes  of  early  life,  and  not  less  in  reading  their 
history,  there  will  be  found  a  preponderance  of  pleasure;  and  hence 
the  propriety  of  combining  together  a  particular  with  a  general 
interest.'  Cf.  Westmoreland  2,  Prose  Works  2.319.  Cf.  also 
Spenser's  Ruins  of  Time,  and  Wrangham's  Ruins  of  Rome.  I  am 
not  certain  that  Wordsworth  knew  Volney's  Les  Ruines? 

13  Refer  to  the  notes  on  Eccl.  Son.  2.3,  and  to  Wordsworth's 
note  on  Eccl.  Son.  2.21  for  this  line,  taken  'from  a  MS.  WTitten 
about  the  year  1770,  which  accidentally  fell  into  my  possession.' 

3.36 

1-14  The  date  of  this  sonnet  is  not  known.  May  Wordsworth 
refer  to  the  sympathy  aroused  in  England  for  those  persecuted  at 
Nimes  in  1815,  after  the  second  restoration  of  the  Bourbons? 
Cf.  Waddington,  W.  H.,  The  Protestant  Church  and  Religious  Liberty 
in  France,  in  Cambridge  Essays,  1856,  p.  217:  'It  was  not  till 
March,  1819  [?  1816]  that,  in  the  course  of  a  debate  about  some 
modification  of  the  electoral  law,  the  whole  truth  came  out. 
...  In  England  much  sympathy  was  aroused,  and  meetings  were 
held  in  the  principal  towns  in  favor  of  the  Protestants.  ...  In 
May,  1816,  Sir  Samuel  Romilly,  himself  descended  from  a  French 
refugee,  brought  the  matter  before  parliament,  and  moved  that  an 
address  be  presented  to  the  Prince  Regent,  on  the  subject  of  the 
persecutions  in  the  South  of  France;  he  was  ably  supported  by 
Mr.  Brougham.  This  debate  drew  general  attention  to  the  events 
of  Nimes  all  over  Europe,  and  at  last  compelled  the  French 
government  to  interfere.'     Cf.  Burnet,  Hist.  Oivn  Time  3.128-9. 


OF   WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  299 

3.37 

I     See  the  note  on  Eccl.  Son.  3.34. i-i 4. 

2-4  Burnet  {Hist.  Own  Time  3.307  fT.)  gives  in  detail  the 
changes  of  the  wind.  Finally  {ibid.  3.325-7),  'on  the  first  of  No- 
vember, O.  S.,  we  sailed  out  with  the  evening  tide;  .  .  .  [after 
some  vicissitudes]  the  wind  turned  into  the  south,  and  a  soft  and 
happy  gale  of  wind  carried  in  the  whole  fleet  in  four  hours  time 
into  Torbay.' 

5-6  Wordsworth,  note  on  3.37:  'See  Burnet,  who  is  unusually 
animated  on  this  subject;  the  east  wind,  so  anxiously  expected 
and  prayed  for,  was  called  the  "Protestant  wind.'"  Cf.  Burnet, 
op.  cit.  3.316. 

6  Burnet  {ibid.  3.128)  says  of  the  repeal  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes: 
'Under  so  cloudy  a  prospect  it  should  be  expected  that  a  spirit  of 
true  devotion  and  of  a  real  reformation  should  appear  more,  both 
among  the  clergy  and  laity;  that  they  should  all  apprehend  that 
God  was  highly  offended  with  them,  and  was  therefore  punishing 
some,  and  threatening  others,  in  a  most  unusual  manner.'  This 
temper  of  'apprehension'  hastened  affairs  in  England  {ibid.  3.316): 
'The  Church  party  did  now  show  their  approbation  of  the  Prince's 
expedition  in  such  terms  that  many  were  surprised  at  it,  both  then 
and  since  that  time.  They  spoke  openly  in  favor  of  it.  They 
expressed  their  grief  to  see  the  wind  so  cross.  They  wished  for  an 
east  wind,  which  on  that  occasion  was  called  the  Protestant  wind.' 

7  The  series  of  injuries  included  the  following  {ibid.  3.16,  59  ff., 
71,  108,  157,  164,  184,  222,  223):  Elections  of  parliament  unjustly 
managed  by  James,  1685;  Jeffreys'  cruelty  on  the  western  circuit 
after  the  Duke  of  Monmouth's  Rebellion,  1685;  James'  declaration 
against  the  tests,  1685;  the  extra-legal  ecclesiastical  commission, 
1686;  a  Popish  president  in  Magdalen  College,  1687;  Palmer  sent 
as  ambassador  to  Rome,  1687;  The  Declaration  of  Toleration, 
1687;   its  renewal,  1688;   orders  that  the  clergy  read  it,  1688. 

3.38 

1  Such  'triumphs'  as  that  near  La  Hogue,  1692,  those  of  the 
W^ar  of  Spanish  Succession,  those  of  Lord  Nelson. 

2  Such  'armies'  as  that  which  captured  Namur  in  1695,  that  of 
the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  or  that  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington. 

7-9     Cf.  Desc.  Sk.  658. 

9-11  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.103:  'In  1818,  under  the 
ministry  of  Lord  Liverpool,  £1,000,000  was  voted  by  parliament 
to  build  new  churches  in  England.'  Cf.  Postscript,  1835,  P.  W., 
Oxford  ed.,  pp.  963  ff. 

12-14  Cf.  Guilt  211,  White  Doc  2,  Ode:  Thanks.  205-6,  Excursion 
9.726-7.     Cf.  also  the  notes  on  reverberation,  2.27. 1-14. 


300  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

3-39 

1-14  Refer  to  the  Advertisement,  p.  117,  for  the  circumstances 
of  composition. 

5-6  Cf.  Journals  1.6,  40,  106,  108,  129,  for  the  hawthorn. 
Wordsworth  had  chosen  a  '  hawthorn  brake '  for  Emily's  *  sad  words ' 
to  the  Doe  (line  877).  In  this  sonnet  he  may  have  recalled  Dray- 
ton's line  {Polyolhion  3.314),  which  Selden  annotated  as  follows: 
'It  goes  for  current  truth  that  a  hawthorn  thereby  on  Christmas 
day  always  blossometh:  which  the  author  tells  you  in  that,  "Trees 
yet  in  winter,  &.'     Agamemnon's  spear  [Iliad  1 1.256)  was  avefioTpe<f>ks. 

7     Cf.  the  notes  on  the  latter  part  of  Eccl.  Son.  1.4. 

9-10  Journals  1.7.  Wordsworth  had  spoken  of  the  'function 
apostolical'  of  the  daisy  (Bright  flower  23). 

12-14  Cf.  White  Doe  667-9.  Fenwick  note:  'I  have  only 
further  to  observe  that  the  intended  church  which  prompted  these 
sonnets  was  erected  on  Coleorton  IMoor  towards  the  centre  of  a 
very  populous  parish  between  three  and  four  miles  from  Ashby- 
de-la-Zouch,  on  the  road  to  Loughborough,  and  has  proved,  I 
believe,  a  great  benefit  to  the  neighborhood.' 

340 

1-14  With  this  sonnet  Wordsworth  takes  his  place  in  the 
English  tradition  begun  by  the  author  of  The  Dream  of  the  Rood. 

1-6  Journals  2.167:  'The  priests  in  their  gaudy  attire,  with 
their  young  white-robed  attendants,  made  a  solemn  appearance, 
while  clouds  of  incense  were  ascending  over  their  heads  to  the  large 
crucifix  above  the  altar;  and  the  "pealing  organ"  sounded  to  the 
"full-voiced  quire."'  Ihid.  2.217:  'It  was  a  moonlight  night — 
rather  a  night  of  fitful  moonshine;  for  large  clouds  were  driving 
rapidly  over  the  narrow  arch  of  sky  above  the  town.  A  golden 
cross  upon  one  of  the  steeples  shone  forth  at  times  as  bright  as  a 
star  in  heaven  against  the  black  mountain-wall.'  Ihid.  2.196:  'By 
degrees  (the  vapors  settling  or  shifting)  other  castles  were  seen  on 
island  eminences;  and  the  tops  of  bare  or  woody  hills  taking  the 
same  island  form;  while  trees,  resembling  ships,  appeared  and 
disappeared,  and  rainbow  lights  (scarcely  more  visionary  than  the 
mimic  islands)  passed  over,  or  for  a  moment  rested  on  the  breaking 
mists.' 

9-10  Wordsworth,  note  on  3.40:  'The  Lutherans  have  retained 
the  Cross  within  their  churches:  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  we  have 
not  done  the  same.'  Knight,  P.  W.,  Eversley  ed.,  7.104:  'It  has 
always  been  retained  uithout,  and  is  now  scarcely  less  common 
within  the  churches  of  England.  Did  the  poet  confound  the  Cross 
with  the  Crucifix?' 

12     Knight,  ihid.:   'Cf.  Gray's  Elegy ,  stanza  5: 

The  breezy  call  of  incense-breathing   morn.' 


OF   WILLIAM    WORDSWORTH  301 

341 
1-14     Cf.  Epitaphs  2,  Prose  Works  2.146. 
4-5     Virgil,  Georg.  2.471:    *  Illic  saltus  ac  lustra  ferarum.' 

6  Percy,  Reltques,  1864,  1.66-7: 

Then  they  cast  on  their  govvnes  of  grene, 
And  tooke  theyr  bowes  each  one; 
And  they  away  to  the  greene  forrest 
A  shooting  forth  are  gone. 

7  Refer  to  The  Book  of  Common  Prayer,  ed.  by  Blunt,  pp. 
[62]-[63]. 

12  Ihid.,  p.  298. 

13  See  Epitaphs  2,  Prose  Works  2.147,  ^oi"  'the  afiilictions  which 
peasants  and  rural  citizens  have  to  struggle  with,  .  .  .  the  tears 
which  they  wipe  away,  and  the  sighs  which  they  stifle.' 

342 

1-14  Dorothy  Wordsworth  wrote  to  Samuel  Rogers,  Jan.  3, 
1823  {Letters  2.200):  'My  brother  .  .  .  likes  best  ...  in  the 
Sketches  the  succession  of  those  on  the  Reformation,  and  those 
towards  the  conclusion  of  the  third  part.'  Wordsworth  himself 
wrote  to  Richard  Sharp,  April  16,  [1822]  {Letters  2.176):  'The 
Ecclesiastical  Sketches  labor  under  one  obvious  disadvantage,  that 
they  can  only  present  themselves  as  a  whole  to  the  reader  who  is 
pretty  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  this  country;  and,  as 
separate  pieces,  several  of  them  suffer  as  poetry  from  the  matter 
of  fact,  there  being  unavoidably  in  all  history — except  as  it  is  a 
mere  suggestion — something  that  enslaves  the  fancy.  But  there 
are  in  these  poems  several  continuous  strains,  not  in  the  least 
degree  liable  to  this  objection.  I  will  only  mention  two:  the 
sonnets  on  The  Dissolution  of  the  Monasteries,  and  almost  the  whole 
of  the  last  part,  from  the  picture  of  England  after  the  Revolution, 
scattered  over  with  Protestant  churches,  till  the  conclusion.  Pray 
read  again  from  "Open  your  gates,  ye  everlasting  Piles"  to  the 
end.'     Cf.  Journals  2.163. 

5  'Intricate  defile'  had  been  used  in  Diiddon  16.8.  Lines  5-10 
of  Eccl.  Son.  3.42  are,  like  many  of  the  lines  of  Duddon,  remarkable 
for  the  skilful  use  of  phonetic  elements. 

10     Cf.  Jacob's  ladder  (Genesis  28.12). 

12  Cf.  Dorothy's  account  of  Lincoln  {Journals  1. 144). 

13  It  was  'the  death-sounds  of  the  Minster-bell'  of  York  that 
Francis  Norton  heard  when  he  fled  'from  the  doleful  City.' 

14  Dyer  {Hist.  Camh.  2.334-7)  speaks  of  the  character  of  Cam. 
Cf.  Misc.  Son.  3.2.10-11. 


302  THE   ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

343 

1-14  Hutchinson,  P.  W.,  Oxford  ed.,  p.  451:  'Wordsworth 
appears  to  have  written  one  at  least  of  these  sonnets  (3.43-45), 
and  perhaps  wrote  all  three,  during  a  visit  to  his  brother  Christopher 
(Master  of  Trinity)  at  Cambridge,  Nov.-Dec,  1820.'  For  further 
discussion,  see  p.  28.  Cf.  Letters  1.2 1,  374.  This  sonnet  and  the 
following  recall  lines  155-66  of  Milton's  //  Penseroso. 

1  Of  the  canonization  of  Henry  VI,  Dyer  says  (Hist.  Camh. 
2.184):  'Henry  VII  was  in  treaty  with  Pope  Julius  II,  pontiff  of 
Rome,  for  the  canonization  of  Henry  VT,  but  it  seems  that  his 
holiness  was  for  driving  a  hard  bargain,  and  Henry  VII,  it  is  well 
known,  was  not  over-liberal;  so,  between  both,  poor  Henry  was, 
unfortunately,  never  canonized;  but,  though  never  actually  canon- 
ized, he  was  worshipped  as  a  martyr  and  saint,  miracles  were 
wrought  by  him,  while  living,  and  prayers  addressed  to  him  after 
death.'  Cf.  Gray,  Ode  .  .  ,  Et07i,  quoted  by  Dyer  {ihid.  2.185). 
Eton  also  was  founded  by  Henry  VI.  Ihid.  2. 181:  'This  then  is 
the  college,  which,  in  honor  of  the  ro^^al  founder,  is  now  called 
King's,  and  which  was  so  well  endowed  by  Henry  as  to  stand  in 
little  want  of  future  benefactors.  ...  It  should  seem  that  Henry, 
from  the  first,  meditated  a  foundation  worthy  of  a  king.' 

2  Ihid.  2. 1 90-1:  'Nicholas  Close,  Cloos,  or  Closse  .  .  .  was  a 
native  of  Drybeach,  in  Westmoreland,  archdeacon  of  Colchester  in 
1450.  He  was  chancellor  of  the  University,  and  Bishop  of  Carlisle; 
and  in  1452  translated  to  Litchfield  and  Coventry.  He  died  in 
October  following.  Besides  the  other  literary  qualities  ascribed  to 
Bishop  Close  by  Bishop  Godwin,  must  be  mentioned  his  skill  in 
architecture;  and  I  particularly  notice  him  as  having  been  men- 
tioned by  some  as  overseer  and  manager  of  all  Henry's  intended 
works  for  this  college.  This  honor  has  been  denied  him  by  a 
modern  writer  [Dalloway,  says  Dyer  in  a  note  on  2. 191];  but  it  is 
certainly  claimed  for  him  in  the  old  histories  of  the  college,  and 
several  circumstances  seem  to  favor  the  belief.  .  .  .  Though 
certainly  he  could  have  no  share  in  the  amended  plan  adopted  by 
Henry  VII,  if  my  MS.  [Cole's  History]  speaks  correctly,  Bishop 
Close  must  be  considered  the  surveyor  and  manager  of  these  works 
till  his  death,  under  Henry  VI.'  Ihid.  2.204,  in  which  Dyer  quotes 
Dalloway:  'That  particular  species  of  architecture  and  carving 
called  "fan-work,"  which  from  its  extreme  cost  and  delicacy  had 
been  hitherto  confined  to  cloisters,  small  chapels,  and  tombs,  was 
now  applied  to  whole  roofs,  and  with  an  equal  defiance  of  expense 
and  labor  [cf.  lines  i  and  3]  made  to  supersede  all  the  excellence  of 
construction  and  finishing  that  had  been  previously  attainable. 
It  is  a  fair  conjecture  that  this  new  method  was  either  known  to 
few  of  the  master-masons,  or  was  too  expensive  [cf .  line  i  ]  for  frequent 
adoption  upon  a  large  scale.  Certain  it  is,  that  the  vaults  of 
Windsor  [the  chapel  of  St.  George],  the  choir  of  Winton,  Henry 


OF  WILLIAM   WORDSWORTH  303 

VII's  [Westminster]  and  King's  College  chapels,  were  commenced 
and  completed  within  twenty  years,  and  that  no  farther  attempts 
.were  subsequently  made.'  Ibid.  2.205,  in  which  Dyer  quotes  an 
explanation  of  the  structure  by  Dalloway  {Observations  on  English 
Architecture,  sect.  8):  'Allowing  this  to  be  the  case,  the  length 
ceases  to  be  wonderful,  excepting  on  account  of  the  labor  and 
expense'  [cf.  lines  i  and  3]. 

3-4  The  scholars  were  clerks  of  St.  Nicholas.  Dyer  {op.  cit. 
2.209)  quotes  Cole,  who  gives  the  original  version  of  a  poetical 
account  of  the  founding.  Cf.  Fuller,  Ch.  Hist.  1.509,  for  these 
verses  as  an  instance  of  'the  bad  poetry  of  that  age.' 

5  Dyer  {op.  cit.  2.202)  quotes  Dalloway,  who  considers  'the 
roof  of  King's  College  Chapel  as  the  utmost  effort  of  constructive 
skill,  and  the  paragon  of  architectural  beauty.' 

8-12  Cf.  Journals  2.274.  For  a  picture  of  the  interior  of  the 
chapel  see  p.  58.  Dyer's  description  includes  a  remark  which 
W^ordsworth  used  for  lines  9  and  10  {op.  cit.  2.200) :  'The  admirable 
arched  roof,  without  the  support  of  any  pillars,  displaying  all  the 
richness  of  its  fine  fan-work.' 

13-14  Ibid.:  'All  combine  to  impress  the  beholder  with  emotions 
which  can  be  better  felt  than  expressed.'    Cf.  Milton,  IlPenserosoiG^. 

344 

1-2  Dyer,  Hist.  Camb.  i. 240-1:  'In  Gothic  buildings  the  great 
variety  of  windows  has  a  happy  effect  on  the  inside  perspective, 
for  they  have  within  arches  and  pillars  by  which  the  rays  of  light 
are  reflected  and  intermingled,  so  as  to  produce  something  like 
picturesqueness  to  the  sight.' 

3-8  Ibid.  2.202:  'The  stained  glass  heightens  the  effect  of  the 
stone-work,  and  gives  it  a  tint  which  can  never  be  produced  by 
any  wash  of  linie,  with  whatever  substance  it  may  be  combined, 
when  the  light  passes  through  diminutive  squares  of  raw  white 
glass.'  For  'Portraitures'  and  'light'  see  //  Penseroso  149  and 
159-60. 

9-14  Dorothy  Wordsworth's  Journals  (2.169-70  and  181)  con- 
tain descriptions  of  cathedral  music  as  it  affected  the  tourists 
of  1820.  Cf.  Wordsworth's  'eye'  and  'ecstacy'  with  Milton's 
'eyes'  and  'exstacies'  {op.  cit.  165-6). 

345 
1-14     Refer  to  the  Introduction,  pp.  10-14. 
2-3     Cf.  Letters  1.349. 
4-14     Cf.  Prelude  7. 129-31. 


304  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SONNETS 

346 

1-14  'Christ,  the  true  Sun,  .  .  .  the  supreme,  everlasting  Power 
of  Heaven':  so  Stillingfleet  (Orig.  Brit.,  pp.  4-5)  translates  Gildas. 
Cf.  also  imagery  in  Burnet,  Sacred  Theory  of  the  Earth. 

3  Psalm  19.4:    'In  them  hath  he  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun.* 

4  Homer,  Iliad  1.482:   irop<f>vpeov. 

5-6  Wordsworth,  note  on  3.46:  'Some  say  that  Monte  Rosa 
takes  its  name  from  a  belt  of  rock  at  its  summit — a  very  unpoetical 
and  scarcely  a  probable  supposition.' 

9-1 1     Cf.  Eccl.  Son.  3.20.12. 

12-14     Cf.  Journals  2.197,  199. 

347 

1-5     Virgil,  Georg.  3.424:    'Tardosque  .  .  .  sinus.' 

5-9  See  pp.  62-78  for  a  full  discussion  of  the  'Holy  river.'  Cf. 
also  Duddon,  especially  33.9-14. 

10  Cf.  Eccl.  Son.  3.1;  the  reference  to  the  'eternal  City'  (line  13) 
suggests  that  Wordsworth  had  in  mind  the  Revelation  of  St.  John. 

11-12  Cf.  Convention  of  Cintra,  Prose  Works  1.212:  'So  the 
domestic  loves  and  sanctities,  .  .  .  wherever  they  have  flowed  with 
a  pure  and  placid  stream,  do  instantly  under  the  same  influence 
[intense  passion  consecrated  by  a  sudden  revelation  of  justice], 
put  forth  their  strength  as  in  a  flood;  and,  without  being  sullied 
or  polluted,  pursue — exultingly  and  with  song — a  course  which 
leads  the  contemplative  reason  to  the  ocean  of  eternal  love.' 

13-14  Cf.  Epitaphs  s,  ibid.  2. iSg,  where,  among  the  resources 
of  the  deaf  dalesman  is  the 

word  of  Holy  Writ 
Announcing  immortality  and  joy 
To  the  assembled  spirits  of  the  just, 
From  imperfection  and  decay  secure. 

See  the  Introduction,  pp.  9-10,  for  a  discussion  of  Wordsworth's 
conception  of  'justice.'  The  last  word  of  Eccl.  Son.  is  an  echo  of 
Plato's  Republic,  Dante's  Divina  Commedia,  and  Milton's  Paradise 
Lost,  although  Wordsworth's  imrhediate  text  is  Hebrews  12.23:  'To 
the  general  assembly  and  church  of  the  firstborn,  which  are  writ- 
ten in  heaven,  and  to  God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  to  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect.' 


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INDEX 


(All  titles  are  listed  under  the  name  of  the  author  except  poetical  and  prose 
works  of  Wordsworth,  certain  books  of  the  Bible,  and  certain  works  of  unknown, 
doubtful  or  collective  authorship.  Names  of  persons  mentioned  or  clearly 
indicated  in  the  text  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets  axe  within  parentheses  referred 
to  their  places  in  the  text.  References  to  William  Wordsworth,  and  to  the 
Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  entire  or  in  part,  have  been  omitted.] 


Acts,  208,  290. 

Advertisement   to   Lyrical  Ballads, 

15,  19- 
^lla  (1.13-13),  126,222. 
^schylus,  17. 

Alban  (1.6.9),  39,83,  122,214. 
Alhtim:  Lady  Mary  Lowther,  25. 
Alexander    III,    Pope    (1.38.2),   25, 

93,  97,  138,  245- 
Alford,  17- 
Alfred  (1.26.2,  1.27.2),  3,  4,  27,  60, 

63,  66,  132,   133,   189,  233,  234, 

237;    Orpheus  and  Eurydice,  234; 

Preface    to    Gregory's    Pastoral 

Care,  233. 
Allsop,  27, 
Aneurin,  Gododin  (i.io.i),  124,  217, 

218. 
Annales  of  Rome,  24. 
Anselm,  26,  239. 
Aquinas,  251. 
Argonautica,  24. 
Aristotle,  251,  264;  Poetics,  71. 
Armstrong,   78;    Art  of  Preserving 

Health,  265. 
Artegal  and  Elidure,  24,  281. 
Arthur  (1.10.6),  124,  218. 
Augustine  of  Canterbury   (1.14.6), 

60,  66,   126,  221,  225,  226,  228, 

236. 
Augustine   of   Hippo,   4,    248;     De 
Civitate  Dei,  4. 


Bacon,  4,  7;  Advancement  of  Learn- 
ing, 251;   Of  A dversity,  281. 

Baker,  Chronicle,  252,  257,  269,  271. 

Barstow,  Wordsworth's  Theory  of 
Poetic  Diction,  5  n. 

Battle  of  Brunanburh,  219. 

Beaumont,  13,  37,  ii7- 

Becket  (i.37-9),  9i,  138. 

Bede  (1.23.4),  3,  4,  24,  25,  26,  27, 
38,  131,  189,  205,  225,  230, 
231;  Ecclesiastical  History,  2>,  2>9, 
42,  205,  212,  214,  215,  216,  217, 
218,  219,  221,  222,  223,  224,  225, 
226,  227,  228,  229,  230,  231,  232, 
233,  235,  240,  260,  275,  282,  285. 

Berengaria  (i.35-5),  I37,  242. 

Bernard,  26,  248,  249,  251. 

Bible  (1.29.5,  2.9. II,  2.10.2,  2.12.2- 
4,  2.29.1,  2.40.6,  2.41.6,  3.29. II, 
3.47.2),  17,  24,  77.  143,  144,  I45» 
153,  159,  176,  185,  213,  233,  266, 
267,  268,  304. 

Boethius,  Consolation  of  Philosophy, 
251. 

Book  of  Common  Prayer  (see  Lit- 
urgy-) • 

Borderers,  5,  7,  11,  274. 

Bowles,  Grave  of  the  Last  Saxon,  239, 
240;    Sonnet  on  the  River  Rhine, 
288. 
Bradwardine,  26,  251. 
Bright  flower,  300. 


309 


310 


INDEX 


Brocmail  (Brocvail),  220. 

Broughton,  Theocritean  Element  in 
the  Works  of  William  Wordsworth, 
229. 

Browne,  7. 

Brownie's  Cell,  229. 

Bruges  I,  262.    . 

Bryce,  Holy  Roman  Empire,  4. 

Brydges,  22. 

Burke,  9,  21, 

Burnet,  G.,  24,  25,  205;  History  of 
His  Own  Time,  39,  275,  277,  279, 
280,  281,  283,  284,  285,  286, 
287,  288,  298,  299;  History  of  the 
Reformation,  39,  269,  271. 

Burnet,  T.,  Sacred  Theory  of  the 
Earth,  209,  304. 

Burns,  78. 

Csedmon,  26. 

Caesar,  Julius  (1.3. 10),  121,  210. 

Camden,  24;  Britain,  205,  230. 

Camoens,  22. 

Canute  (1.30.3),  63,  66,  134,  190, 
238,  239;  Ballad,  134,  238. 

Caractacus  (1.10.3),  124,  187. 

Carter,  editor  of  Wordsworth,  58. 

Cato,  De  Re  Rustica,  238 ;  Origines, 
24. 

Catullus,  JJ. 

Cavendish,  Life  of  Cardinal  Wolsey, 

259- 
Charles  I  (2.44,  2.46.10),  37,  38,  60, 

88,  161,  162,  198,  278,  279,  280. 
Charles  II  (3.3),  37,  38,  63,  69,  94, 

95,  163,  280,  281. 
Chaucer  (2.31.2),  3,  8,  20,  154,  196, 

205,    268;     Canterbury    Tales,    4; 

Nun's  Priest's  Tale,  251 ;  Prioress' 

Tale,  154,  253,  268. 
Chetwind,  Anthologia  Historica,  239, 

240. 
Chiabrera,  19. 


Chicheley  (2.15.9,  2.16.2),  85,  146, 
147,  257. 

Child,  English  and  Scottish  Popular 
Ballads,  267. 

Clarendon,  History  of  the  Rebellion, 
281. 

Clement  XIV,  Pope  (Ganganelli), 
Letters,  247,  248. 

Close  (3.43-8),  59,  183,  302. 

Coleridge,  H.,  22. 

Coleridge,  S.  T.,  2,  11,  22,  26,  27, 
78,  209,  291 ;  Biographia  Liter  aria, 
78,  216;  Letters,  2. 

Comestor,  Franciscus,  editor  of 
Bernard,  249. 

Concordance  to  the  Poems  of  William 
Wordsworth  (see  Cooper). 

Constable,  Diana:  To  the  King  of 
Scots,  282. 

Convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  New 
York  City,  248. 

Convention  of  Cintra,  4,  7,  9,  10,  12, 
234,  235,  244,  254,  267,  304. 

Cook,  Chaucerian  Papers  I,  J 7. 

Cooper,  251;  Concordance  to  the 
Poems  of  William  Wordsworth, 
206,  210,  259,  267;  On  Words- 
worth's Joanna,  265 ;  Wordsworth' s 
Knowledge  of  Plato,  282;  Words- 
worth:   Variant  Readings,  200. 

Corinthians   I,   177,  287,  296. 

Cowley,  273;  Ode  upon  His  Maj- 
esty's  Restoration  ayid  Return,  281. 

Cowper,  3,  21. 

Coxe,  Travels  in  Switzerland,  277. 

Cranmer,  C,  Letter  to  Hooker,  273, 
275,  276,  287.  Q 

Cranmer,  T.  (2.35.4),  25,  37,  63, 
106,  156,  264,  266,  269,  270,  271, 
289. 

Cromwell  (3.7.2),  165,  279,  284. 

Cyclic  poems,  24. 

Daniel,  Book  of,  211. 


INDEX 


311 


Daniel,  S.,  24,  25,  205,  220;  Civil 
War,  239 ;  Collection  of  the  History 
ofE^igland,  205,  212,  216,  218,  219, 
221,  222,  228,  234,  235,  239,  242, 
243,  244,  246,  247,  252,  266; 
Musophilus,  243. 

Dante,  4,  15,  27,  205;  Divina  Com- 
viedia,  4,  22,  62,  71,  304;  hiferno, 
18,   233,   238;    Paradiso,    17,   20, 

253- 
Darwin,  216. 
Davies,   Celtic  Researches,  24,  209, 

210,  211;    Mythology  and  Rites  of 

the  British  Druids,  24,  207,  208, 

209,  210,  211,  212,  217,  218,  219, 

220. 
Denham,    Verses   on    the   Death   of 

Cowley,  268. 
Dennis,  18. 

Departing  summer,  10. 
Description    of   the    Scenery    of   the 

Lakes,  7,  16,  64,  65,  78,  206,  208, 

209,  217,  229,  277,  291. 
Descriptive  Sketches,  245,  246,  255, 

299;  Quarto,  11. 
Deuteronomy,  272. 
Digby,  Broadstone  of  Honour,  247; 

Mores  Catholici,  26,  247. 
Diocletian  (1.6.1),  83,  122,  213,  214. 
Doane,  32,  38,  52,  288;    Sermon  in 

Cofnmemoration  of  Bishop  White, 

288,  289. 
Donne  (3.5),  22,  24,  164,  280,  283. 
Dowden,  editor  of  Wordsworth,  29, 

30;   Memoir  of  Wordsworth,  2. 
Drayton,  24;    Agincourt,  257,  258; 

Polyolbion,    205,    207,    208,    211, 

212,  218,  219,  257,  262,  300. 
Dream  of  the  Rood  (Old  English), 

300. 
Dryden,  3;  Absalom  and  Achitophel, 

279;     Astraa    Redux,    278,    281; 


Song  for  St.  Cecilia's  Day,  1687, 
263. 
Duddon,   10,  50,  78,  205,  229,  291, 

301.  304- 
Duns  Scotus,  251. 

Dunstan  (1.28.6),  133,  236,  237. 

Duty,  6. 

Dyer,  G.,  24,  25,  205;  History  of 
Cambridge,  28,  42,  205,  238,  243, 
251,  252,  253,  261,  273,  277,  283, 
284,  297,  298,  301,  302,  303. 

Dyer,  J.,  Fleece,  212;  Ruins  of  Rome, 
265. 

Ecclesiastes,  275. 

Ecclesiasticus,  276. 

Edward  the  Confessor  (1.31.1),  135, 
240, 

Edward  III   (2.7.9),  142,  251,  252, 

253- 
Edward  VI  (2.31.8,  2.32),  63,  154, 

155,  196,  268,  269,  272. 
Edwin  (1.15.2,  1.16.1),  84,  127,  22;^, 

224,.225. 

Egyptian  Maid,  280. 

Eikon  Basilike,  attributed  to  Charles 

I,  279,  280. 
Elizabeth   (2.38.1),  27,  37,  57,  63, 

68,  76,  103,  158,  273,  275. 
Ennius,  24. 
Epitaphs,  10,  16,  19,  219,  222,  228, 

247,  253,  263,  301,  304. 
Essay  Supplementary,    15,   21,   22, 

268. 
Ethelforth    (Ethelfrith,    Ethelfrid), 

220,  221. 
Eusebius,    207,    212;     Ecclesiastical 

History,  213,  214,  215,  255. 
Evening  Walk,  246. 
Excursion,   7,  8,    14,    15,  206,   209, 

228,  229,  231,  235,  237,  247,  249, 

263,  285,  292,  299. 
Exodus,  241,  279. 
Ezekiel,  62,  290. 


312 


INDEX 


Fact,  A,  and  an  Imagination,  233, 
238. 

Fasti  of  Rome,  24. 

Fenwick  Notes,  25,  117,  245,  278, 
280. 

Fisher  (2.26.8),  152,  264. 

Fort  Fuentes,  261. 

Foxe,  24,  25,  205;  Acts  and  Monu- 
ments, 36,  245,  246,  268,  270,  271. 

Frederick  Barbarossa  (1.38.2),  25, 
37,  93.  97,  138,  245,  246. 

Frederick  II,  Emperor,  246. 

Freeholders  of  Westmoreland,  To  the, 
235,  236,  254,  276,  298. 

Fuller,  24,  25,  205,  220;  Church 
History,  39,  207,  211,  214,  216, 
218,  224,  225,  230,  231,  235,  236, 
237,  239,  242,  243,  244,  247,  251, 
257,  258,  260,  261,  262,  263,  264, 
266,  267,  268,  269,  270,  271,  272, 
277»  303;  Holy  War,  35,  36,  48, 
205,  240,  241,  242,  243,  246,  253, 
254,  255,  256. 

Gardiner,  Great  Civil  War,  25. 

Genesis,  301. 

Geoffrey  of  Monmouth,  Historia 
Britonum,  205,  212,  217,  218. 

Germanus,  219,  222,  225. 

Giles,  Preface  to  Six  Old  English 
Chronicles,  218. 

Glen  Almain,  229. 

Graves,  17. 

Gray,  Bard,  219;  Elegy  written  in  a 
Country  Churchyard,  300 ;  Hymn  to 
Adversity,  281;  Ode:  Eton,  302; 
Progress  of  Poesy,  206. 

Greek  tragedies,  24. 

Green  Linnet,  297. 
Gregory  I,  Pope  (1.137),  A,  ^7,  66, 
126,  221,  226,  228;    Commentary 
on  Job,  222. 
Gregory  VII,  Pope,  245. 
Guericius,  Sermones,  249. 


Guilt  and  Sorrow,  5,   11,  211,  263, 

274,  299. 
Habakkuk,  290. 
Hanmer,    translator    of    Eusebius' 

Ecclesiastical   History,    213,    214, 

215,  255. 
Happy  Warrior,  3,  6,  7. 
Harper,  William  Wordsworth,  2,  12, 

25,  294. 
Hebrews,  267,  268,  304. 
Henry  II  (i.37-9),  37,  138,  244. 
Henry  IV,  Emperor,  245. 
Henry  V  (2.15.6),  26,  37,  85,  146, 

257,  258. 
Henry  VI  (3.43-i),  59»  183,  2><^^' 
Henry  VIII    (2.29.9),  26,  67,    153, 

264,  266. 
Herbert    (3.5),   24,    164,   283;     The 

Temple:    The  Church  Porch,  45, 

119. 

Heylin,  H.,  Dedication  to  Cypri- 
anus  Anglicanus,  63. 

Heylin,  P.,  24;  Cyprianus  Angli- 
canus, 205,  254,  275,  276,  278,  279. 

Highland  Girl,  280. 

Homer,  3,  17,  24,  205;  Iliad,  220, 
259,  272,  276,  300,  304. 

Homilia  de  Bonis  Margaritis,  attrib- 
uted to  Bernard  (2.3.1-5),  140, 
248. 

Hooker  (2.39.4,  3-32.14),  8,  24,  89, 
158,  164,  178,  273,  274,  275,  282, 
283,  292,  296;  Ecclesiastical  Pol- 
ity, 2J^. 

Horace,  77;    Carmina,  206. 

Hume,  205,  278. 

Hutchinson,  editor  of  Wordsworth, 
22,  27,  29,  30,  293,  302. 

If  thou  indeed,  45. 

Inscriptions,  46,  243. 

Inscriptions:  Hermit's  Cell,  229. 

In  Youth,  256. 

Isaiah,  253. 


INDEX 


313 


Itinerary  Poems  of  iSjj,  30,  40,  104, 

105,  212. 
Itinerary  Sonnets,  50. 
James  II  (3.9-13),  38,  68,  166,  285, 

286,  299. 
Jeremiah,  213,  219,  275,  290. 
Jewel  (2.39.3),  89,  158,  274,  275. 
Joan  of  Kent  (2.32),  155,  269. 
Joanna,  265. 
John,  Gospel,  230,  253. 
John,   King  of   England    (1.37. 10), 

37,  91,  138,  244,  247. 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  (2. 21. 14),  149, 

208,  262. 
Judges,  279. 
Juvenal,  210,  252. 
Keble,  Christian  Year,  292. 
Kilchurn,  242. 
Knight,  editor  of  Wordsworth,  29, 

30,  31,   188,   191,   192,   193,   195, 

200,  201,  202,  203,  204,  221,  235, 

241,  264,  266,  2"]^,  280,  282,  283, 

285,  292,  294,  299,  300;    Life  of 

William  Wordsworth,  27. 
Lamb,  205,  258. 
Lamentacion  of  Marie  Magdaleine, 

in  Anderson's  British  Poets  listed 

as  Chaucerian,  263. 
Landor,  20. 
Lanfranc,  26,  239. 
Laodamia,  i,  8. 
Latimer  (2.34.2),  45,  156,  270. 
Laud  (2.45.3,  2.46.10,  3.32.13),  25, 

63,  68,  161,   162,   178,   198,  278, 

279,  296. 
Legouis,  2. 

Letter  to  a  Friend  of  Burns,  283. 
Letter  to  Pasley,  16,  19. 
Letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  9, 

228,  242. 
Lienemann,  Belesenheit  von  William 

Wordsworth,  282. 


Liturgy  (3.16,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23,  24, 
25,  26,  27,  28,  29,  30,  31,  32.1, 
41.12,    46.10-11),    24,    170,    171, 

172,  173,  174.  175,  176,  177.  178, 
182,  185,  270,  290,  292,  293,  294, 
295,  296,  301. 

Lottg  Meg,  28,  104,  105,  209,  210. 

Longfellow,  translator  of  Dante,  238. 

Lonsdale,  the  first  Lord,  MS.  Mem- 
oirs, 220,  285. 

Lucretius,  77;  De  Rerum  Natura, 
206. 

Luke,  282. 

Luther  (2.37.4),  95,  I57,  255,  256. 

Lycoris,  254. 

Lyrical  Ballads,  4,  5,  50. 

Mabillon,  editor  of  Bernard,  248, 
249. 

Macpherson,  Ossian,  20. 

Mahomet  (2.27.1 1),  152,  265,  266. 

Malham,  8,  206. 

Mary  Tudor,  Queen  of  England 
(2.337,  2.34.1),  37,  60,  155,  156, 
269,  270,  2J2,,  274. 

Maternal  Grief,  228. 

Matthew,    128,  225,  253,  290, 

Meek  Virgin,  263. 

Melville,  Introduction  to  the  Ecclesi- 
astical Sonnets  of  Wordsworth,  207, 

.  208,  210,  212. 

Memorials  of  a  Tour  in  Scotland, 
1803,  46. 

Memorials  of  a  Tour  in  Scotland, 
18 1 4,  46. 

Memorials  of  a  Tour  on  the  Conti- 
nent, 1820,  13,  29,  30,  35,  36,  39, 
40,  42,  44,  46,  83,  90,  91,  96,  97, 
102,  186,  197,  199,  200,  244,  246, 
277. 

Michael,  235,  274. 

Michelangelo,  22,  209;  Sonnets,  20. 

Milton  (3.4.6,  3.7.2),  3,  17,  21,  22, 
23,  24,  25,  27,  50,  69,  164,  282; 


314 


INDEX 


Apology,  290;  Comus,  230,  282; 
Defensio  Prima,  254,  279;  Defen- 
sio  Secunda,  280;  Eikonoclastes, 
278,  279,  280,  281;  History  of 
Britain,  24,  210,  218,  233;  Hymn 
on  the  Morning  of  Christ's  Nativity, 
241,  247,  260,  262,  263,  265;  // 
Pensero so,  ^00,  ^02,  2,02,;  Lycidas, 
261 ;  Of  Reformation,  229,  254, 
256,  259,  267;  Paradise  Lost,  4, 
17,  205,  206,  209,  212,  226,  231, 
237,  247,  257,  266,  267,  268,  269, 
272,  274,  279,  282,  288,  290,  294, 
304;  Paradise  Regained,  248; 
Piemont,  165,  269,  284;  Reason 
of  Church  Government,  267,  275, 
280;  Samson  Agonistes,  238;  Song 
on  May  Morning,  268. 

Minto,  Wordsworth  in  Encyclopedia 
Britannica,  2 ;  Wordsworth's  Great 
Failure,  4,  7,  8. 

Miscellaneous  Sonnets,  22,  30,  36, 
37,  40,  45,  50,  86,  94,  107,  206, 
231,  237,  252,  256,  262,  291,  292, 
301. 

Montalembert,  Monks  of  the  West, 
26,  251. 

More  (2,26.8),  4,  25,  152,  264. 

Nsevius,  24. 

Nichols,  Collection,  33,  34. 

Nith,  297. 

Oak  of  Guernica,  235. 

Ode  18 1 4,   206,  214,  263. 

Ode  1815,   265. 

Ode:  Thanksgiving,  8,  299. 

Osgood,  Spenser's  English  Rivers, 
205. 

Ossian,  3. 

Ossian,  3,  262. 

Pandolphus  (1.37. 12),  91,  244. 

Paul  (1.2.6),  81,  82,  120,  208,  267. 

Paulinus  (1.15),  63,  66,  127,  188, 
223. 


Peele  Castle,  6. 

Percy,  Reliques,  301. 

Personal  Talk,  232. 

Peter  (1.2.9),  81,  120,  208,  262,  276. 

Peter  Bell,  5,  11,  210,  274. 

Petrarch,  22. 

Pilgrim's  Dream,  283. 

Plato,  282;  Republic,  4,  304. 

Plea:  Historian,  15. 

Pliny,  Natural  History,  238. 

Poems,  Chiefly  of  Early  and  Late 
Years,  43,  53,  186,  200. 

Poems  Dedicated  to  National  Inde- 
pendence arid  Liberty,  46,  48,  205, 

255- 
Poems  of  1807,    4,  22. 
Poems  of  Sentiment  and  Reflection, 

46. 
Poems  on  the  Naming  of  Places,  5, 

46. 
Political  Sonnets,  50. 
Postscript  of  1835,    14,  18,  299. 
Potts,  Wordsworth  and  the  Bramble, 

261. 
Power  of  Sound,  56. 
Preface  of  1800,    2,  5,  15,  292. 
Preface  of  1815,   2,  17,  18,  21. 
Preface  to  The  Excursion,  12. 
Prelude,  2,  5,  6,  8,  9,  12,  210,  211, 

229(^230,  249,  252*;  25^  256,  290, 

293»  303. 
Prelude  to  Poems,  Chiefly  of  Early 

and  Late  Years,  3. 
Primrose,  9. 
Prioress'  Tale,  209,  268. 
Processions,  246. 
Proverbs,  289. 
Psalms,  TJ,  206,  274,  279,  280,  284, 

296,  304. 
Ramond,  translator  of  Coxe's  Trav- 

els  in  Switzerland,  277. 
Recluse,  5,  7,  8,  12,  231. 


INDEX 


315 


Reed,  32,  38,  41,  44,  50,  52,  54,  55, 

288,  289,  290. 
Reply  to  the  Letter  of  Matketes,  3,  20, 

268,  273,  278. 
Resolution  and  Independence,  229. 
Revelation,  62,  268,  276,  292,  304. 
Richard  I  (i.35-2),  26,  63,  66,  137, 

242,  243. 
Ridley  (2.34.2),  45,  156,  269,  270. 
Rising  in  the  North,  ballad,  267, 
Robinson,  25;   Diary,  14,  16,  20. 
Russell,  T.,  22. 

Russell,  W.  (3.10.4),  167,  286. 
Sacheverell  (3.114),  25,  63,  69,  167, 

287,  288. 
Sanderson  (3.5),  164,  283. 
Scott,  20,  26,  71. 
Seabur}',  Brief  View  of  the  Origin 

and  Results  of  Episcopacy  in  the 

United  States  of  America,  289,  290. 
Sellar,  A.  M.,  translator  of  Bede's 

Ecclesiastical  History,  24. 
Sellar,  W.  Y.,  Virgil,  24. 
Shakespeare,  15,  21,  22;    Henry  V, 

257;  Henry  VIII,  259;   Macbeth, 

293;    Measure  for  Measure,  246; 

Midsummer- Night' s    Dream,  229; 

Romeo  and  Juliet,  264;    Tempest, 

4- 
Sidney,  A.  (3.10.3),  167,  286. 
Sidney,  P.,  Astrophel  and  Stella,  237. 
Simonides,  10. 
Slattery,  248. 

Smart,  Sonnets  of  Milton,  21,  23. 
Smith,    Charlotte,    Elegiac   Son7tets 

and  Other  Poems,  206,  209,  246. 
Smith,  N.  C,  editor  of  Wordsworth, 

29,  30,  241,  255,  284,  294. 
Sonnets  of  William  Wordsworth,  43, 

49. 
Southey,  22,  117;  All  for  Love,  294; 
Book  of  the  Church,  117,  211,248; 
Elegy  on  Delia,  246. 


Speculum  Religiosum,  248. 

Spenser,  4,  17,  21,  27,  205;  Epithala- 
mion,  175,  294;  Faerie  Queene, 
132,  206,  232,  273;  Hymn  of 
Heavenly  Love,  268;  Prothala- 
mion,  252;   Ruins  of  Time,  298. 

St.  Bees,  29,  47,  48,  54,  250. 

St.  John,  Collection,  30,  31,  32,  33, 
34,  289,  290. 

Stillingfleet,  24,  205;  Origines  Bri- 
tannicae,  24,  207,  208,  211,  212, 

215,  217,219,  261,  304. 

Stow,  24;  Chronicle,  24,  240,  252, 
253»  259,  263,  265,  269. 

Strype,  205;  Life  and  Acts  of  Mat- 
thew Parker,  275,  276,  277. 

Taliesin  (1.5. 10),  122,  125,  208,  211, 
212,  218,  219,  220,  221. 

Tasso,  22. 

Thelwell,  14. 

Theocritus,  Idyls,  230. 

Time's  Telescope,  188,  189,  195,  204. 

Tintern  Abbey,  i. 

Triad,  262. 

Tro  sacks,  19. 

Turner,  24,  25,  38,  205;  History  of 
the  Anglo-Saxons,  39,  42,  211,  212, 

216,  217,  218,  219,  220,  221,  223, 
228,  231,  232,  233,  234,  235,  236, 
237,  238,  239,  240,  250,  251,  252, 
262. 

Two  Voices,  259. 

Urban  II,  Pope  (i.33-i),  136,  241. 

Urien  (1.10.9),  124,  218. 

Valdo  (2.1 1.9),  144,  145,  193,  254, 

255- 
Varro,  24. 

Vaudracour  and  Julia.  227. 
Venetian  Republic,  255. 
Vernal  Ode,  293. 
Vinci  da,  20. 
Virgil,   4,   8,   24,   27,    77,   78,   205; 

^neid,  4,  20,  216,  225,  226,  231, 


316 


INDEX 


246,  253;    Eclogues,  4,  206,  229, 
.    230,  246,  253,  293;    Georgics,  4, 

206,  214,  235,  259,  301,  304. 
Volney,  Les  Rtiines,  298. 
Waddington,  Protestant  Church  and 

Religious  Liberty  in  France,  298. 
Walton  (3.5.14).  21,  24,  25,  27,  45, 

164,  205,  209,  210;  Lives,  24,  48, 

255,  272,  273,  274,  275,  276,  280, 

282,  283,  287,  292,  296. 
Weever,    7;     Funeral    Monuments, 

248,  263. 
Westminster  Bridge,  1 1 . 
Westmoreland  Girl,  256. 
When  in,  263. 
When,  to,  6. 
Whitaker,  24,  25,  205;    History  of 

Craven,  249,  251,  263,  296,  297; 

History  of  Whalley,  248. 
White,  51,  52,  69,  169,  288,  289,  290. 
White  Doe,  5,  6,  7,  22,  46,  50,  223, 

228,  232,  235,  241,  246,  251,  253, 

265,  267,  273,  279,  280,  282,  285, 

298,  299,  300,  301. 
William  III  (3.9.4,  3.37.3),  37,  63, 

69,  73,  96,  166,  180,  286,  299. 
Williams,  22. 
Winchelsea,  Aristomenes,  235;   Tree, 

235. 
Wolsey  (2.18),  26,  259,  260. 
Woodford,     Verses    to    Mr.    Isaak 

Walton,  275. 
Wordsworth,    Anne    (3.22.9),    173, 

293. 


Wordsworth,  Christopher,  Bishop  of 
Lincoln,  Memoirs  of  William 
Wordsworth,  3,  10,  11,  17,  18,  19, 
20,  21,  22,  23,  49,  57,  229,  275, 
289,  292,  293. 

Wordsworth,  Christopher,  Master  of 
Trinity,  302 ;  Ecclesiastical  Biog- 
raphy, 2>7,  38,  39,  259,  264,  268, 
270. 

Wordsworth,  Dora  (3.1.1),  162,  280. 

Wordsworth,  Dorothy,  12,  28,  29, 
246,  294;  Journals,  2,  8,  11,  71, 
206,  214,  227,  229,  235,  244,  249, 
254,  257,  261,  262,  266,  268,  27Z, 
277,  283,  288,  297,  298,  300,  301, 

303,  304. 

Wordsworth,  Gordon,  Boyhood  of 
Wordsworth,  11. 

Wordsworth,  John,  brother  of  Wil- 
liam, 6,  209. 

Wordsworth,  John,  nephew  of  Wil- 
liam, 49. 

Wordsworth,  Mary,  31,  41,  209,  244, 
295;  Journal,  277. 

Wotton  (3.5),  48,  164,  255,  272,  273, 
283. 

Wrangham,  11,  20;  Destruction  of 
Babylon,  232;  Restoration  of  the 
Jews,  232;  Ruins  of  Rome,  298. 

Wyclif  (2.17.2),  37,  39,  63,  67,  88, 
147,  209,  220,  256,  258,  268. 

Yarrow  Revisited,  And  Other  Poems, 
43,  47,  186,  192,  193. 

Zephaniah,  290. 


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